Almost Easy
by BregoArodShadowfax
Summary: Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji. Spoilers for chapter 769.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 1/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 5093  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Recent chapters, but especially chapter 769.

**Almost Easy**

**Chapter One**

Law wasn't talking to him.

In fact, he'd barely even _seen _the other man since the rest of their group had arrived at Zou, and he'd spent all of his time sequestered in his submarine with his crew.

Sanji understood, of course, because Law hadn't seen his crew in well over a year and probably missed them terribly, and he'd been here long enough in advance to know that Law's crew adored him and had certainly missed _him _terribly.

Nobody would give him any answers, either, which was particularly frustrating, and even cornering Zoro about it got him little more than a grunt and a 'give him some time, Cook,' to which Sanji had replied that he'd assumed there'd be some sort of victory sex involved, and then Zoro had said that there still could be, and well…

Yeah, he was a little embarrassed about how easily he'd fallen into that one, but at least it had taken his mind off of Law for a while. Sort of, because it was impossible to forget that the last time they'd done this Law had been part of it, and even Zoro had a look on his face the entire time like he knew something wasn't quite right. He didn't exactly _deserve _to look that way, though, considering he was the one who actually _knew _what was going on.

He'd thought maybe he could get a little more out of Zoro in the afterglow, but that proved to be futile.

"He's okay, though, right?" he'd asked, sitting up in bed and lighting a cigarette. "I mean…"

"He's alive," Zoro had replied, which was rather unhelpfully cryptic, but either Zoro had been exhausted or he'd pretended to fall asleep to avoid having any more of the conversation. The snoring made it impossible for Sanji to talk over it, at any rate, so he'd curled up close to Zoro and tried to get some sleep of his own, assuming Law would come around soon.

That had been three days ago, however, and now with the decision that the Heart Pirates would stay at Zou while Luffy and his crew continued onto Wano to drop off the three samurai, Sanji only had a couple more days to figure out what was going on with Law.

He hadn't even been the one to plan anything out, leaving that to Penguin, who kept looking in Sanji's direction (well, Sanji thought he was looking in his direction, but he could never see the other man's eyes so it was hard to tell) like he wanted to say something directly to him.

He never did, though, reiterating that Law knew Kaido would head to Dressrosa first to see the remains of the factory before making any move against the people who had destroyed it, so they had at least a little time to do their own thing before re-convening for that battle.

Luffy had agreed instantly, which Sanji had also found suspicious, because normally Luffy would be hanging onto Law and begging him to come on their next adventure with them. He looked serious after Penguin left, mouth drawn down in a frown and the fingers of his left hand clenched around his right arm like he was remembering something unpleasant.

Robin and Usopp were similarly unhelpful, Usopp stammering and stuttering his way into a change of topic and Robin giving him a very guarded look before replying, "it's not my place to say what happened" in a tone of voice that implied the conversation was over.

In fact, the only person he _did _see Law talking to was Franky…or, rather, he caught Law once or twice hurrying across the deck toward Franky's area of the ship, body always wrapped in a heavy cloak and head down, refusing to look anywhere else. Sanji didn't think Law and Franky had exchanged so much as ten words before they'd gotten to Dressrosa, and Sanji was utterly confused as to what was going on.

By the night before they were set to leave, his confusion had morphed into simple irritation. And, since nobody was giving him answers, he decided it was time to get them for himself.

He waited until Zoro had dropped off to sleep, mouth slightly open and breathing even, and slipped off of the couch. Nobody woke up as he made his way across the deck, hopping from the Sunny over to the foredeck of Law's submarine.

The door leading below was unlocked, thankfully, and he made his way through the halls, grabbing the first member of Law's crew he saw and slamming him against the wall with a threat to 'take me to your shitty Captain's room if you don't want to get kicked through the wall'.

The man had agreed instantly, leading him down into the bowels of the submarine to a rather nondescript door. He scurried away as soon as Sanji was situated in front of it, and Sanji decided against knocking and just tried the doorknob.

It opened, leading into what looked like a parlor of sorts. There were plain wooden bookshelves lining the walls, filled with medical tomes, and a few sparse items of furniture littered the floor: an armchair, a coffee table, a small sofa. Nothing frivolous, nothing unnecessary, it was a perfectly functional but completely boring room, devoid of personality and any sort of warmth or charm.

It was what he expected from Law, if he was being honest, but it was also fucking depressing and he hurried through to an adjacent door that was half-ajar, a dim glow visible from within the room.

He breathed out slowly, pushing the door open and wincing at the creaking sound it made.

"I told you, Penguin, I don't wish to be disturbed tonight," Law was sitting on the rather large bed with his back to him, and Sanji thought it was odd for a moment that Law would care about where he slept before remembering that the other man, for as indifferent as he pretended to be, _hated _being uncomfortable. The room was half-dark, so Sanji didn't think immediately see anything strange, until he looked more closely at Law's silhouette and his breath caught in his throat because _holy fuck. _

He tried to say something, that he wasn't Penguin or…or…his mind was blank, trying to comprehend what was right in front of him, and he stood there gaping like a dying fish until Law glanced over his shoulder, glaring murderously.

His expression softened as soon as he saw who it was, but it soon changed to a look of horror when he realized that there was no way he could hide.

"Sanji," he said, the word catching in his throat, and Sanji shook his head and felt tears prick his eyes which…damn, this wasn't anything to _cry _about.

Zoro had lost a fucking eye, after all, and it hadn't slowed him down at all, but…

But Law was a surgeon. He needed two hands to do his job, and to use his ability, and seeing his right arm just…just…_gone, _was something that Sanji couldn't wrap his mind around because it wasn't _right. _Maybe it was because his hands were his greatest treasure, and just as important to his craft as Law's were to his, that was affecting him so much, but whatever it was seeing the bandaged stump made bile rise in his throat and he tried to fight off the acid roiling in his stomach.

He wanted to throw up, and he wanted to cry, and he wanted to walk over to the bed and wrap Law in his arms and never let him go again, but all he could do was stand there with his mouth open as if he were frozen.

Law's eyes were more haunted than Sanji had ever seen them, something so fucking _broken _in them that it was breaking Sanji's heart at the same time.

He finally forced his feet to move, stumbling across the room like a newborn foal, stopping just in front of Law and gazing down at him.

"I didn't want to show you," Law's voice was hoarse, the look in his eyes just one of fear now. "I didn't…"

"_Why?" _Sanji forced out, the word catching in his throat.

"Because I didn't want you to look at me like _that_."

Sanji blinked, realizing that Law probably thought he was horrified or something (which, he _was, _but not for the reasons Law was likely thinking). It didn't change how he saw Law, not at all, although it would take a while to get used to, but mostly he was horrified _for _Law, because of the pain he must have gone through and because of the work it would take for him to ever be able to perform surgery, with or without the help of his ability, again. So there was horror, and more than a bit of sympathy…Law prided himself on intimidating by his very appearance, by presenting a perfect exterior that drove people away by how cold he was, and now he'd lost that part of his defense and become inherently more vulnerable. Sanji wore his suits like armor, but Law used his entire body to send a message, and he couldn't do that any longer.

"I…"

"Don't pity me. Please. It's bad enough seeing everybody else look at me like I'm a wounded animal they feel sorry for. I don't _want _that," his voice broke and Sanji couldn't stop his body from reacting on instinct, leaning down and wrapping his arms around Law tightly.

He was shaking, vibrating like a crystal right before it would break into a thousand tiny glittering shards too fine to ever piece back together in the same way. Law's reaction was instant, though, his left hand coming to clutch the back of Sanji's shirt as tightly as he could, and it spoke volumes to just how much he'd wanted some sort of affection even if it was beneath him to ask for it.

"I know you don't," Sanji sighed, because he _did, _and he was sure he'd be the same way if, God forbid, something like that ever happened to him. "But it's gonna take me some getting used to."

Law nodded, nuzzling his face against Sanji's chest. There was something off about the way he was acting, like he wanted to do more but was afraid.

"What's up?" Sanji asked, trying to pull back a little, but Law was holding him with a death grip on his shirt.

"Do you…" he stopped and took a deep breath. "Do you still love me?"

"You're a fucking idiot," Sanji should have expected something like that, maybe, but it still hurt to know that Law thought he was so shallow that a missing arm would change how he felt. After everything they'd been through, he should have _known _that Sanji wasn't with him just for his looks…and honestly, it didn't really change how attractive he was, at least in Sanji's eyes.

"I know," Law sounded so _lost, _and he must really have been feeling awful to _agree _with Sanji on the idiot point. "I just…"

"I love you. Idiot," Sanji said again for good measure. "And you're still gorgeous."

"Hardly," Law scoffed, but his voice sounded less broken now. "Do you…want to lie down? You can leave if you wish, I don't want you to feel any obligation to stay…"

"Do I need to call you an idiot a third time?" Sanji raised a curled eyebrow and moved back again, and this time Law let him. "We wasted a whole damn week because you were afraid of seeing me, and we're leaving again tomorrow for who knows how long, so do you seriously think I'm gonna leave you alone tonight?" he looked down at Law, frowning, and Law shook his head.

"No, I'm rather certain you won't now," he shifted backwards on the bed, his expression much lighter all of a sudden. "Come here, then."

Sanji grinned, hopping onto the bed and straddling Law's knees. He leaned down, breath hitching because there had been a part of him…a bigger part than he'd like to admit, perhaps…that had assumed Law would die on Dressrosa. When he'd heard those gunshots he'd barely been able to keep it together, and maybe running away from a Yonkou had been the perfect distraction, but at the time he'd felt such a premonition of doom that he'd thought for certain Law's fate had been sealed.

It wasn't, though, and Sanji's Haki wasn't finely-tuned enough to project anything other than strong emotions, and the overwhelming pain and fear hadn't been about Law dying, maybe, but this was certainly cause enough for it.

Law wasn't dead, though, and _that _was what was important.

They were leaning so close to each other, sharing breath but neither closing the distance between them. Sanji squeezed his eyes shut and tried to clamp down the surge of emotion that flowed through him, because in the last week he'd wanted nothing more than to be _here _with Law alive and warm underneath him.

He wasn't sure why they were hesitating, so close but both seemingly unwilling to take that last step, and Sanji raised his hands to curl into Law's shirt, lips barely brushing the surgeon's. Law's hand came to rest on his lower back, pulling him in.

"Fuck, I want you," he groaned before he could stop himself, but instead of balking or finding some other sort of excuse Law merely slid his hand under Sanji's shirt, stroking his skin with careful fingertips. "Law…"

"You have me," Law murmured. "You know you have me."

"Yeah?" Sanji chuckled darkly, voice low with arousal. "I thought this was all temporary and after our alliance was over you were going to move on with your life."

"The alliance stands until Kaido is defeated," Law replied, that familiar sultry edge creeping back into his tone. His hand slid under the waistband of Sanji's jeans, his intent clear. "We have time."

"Good," Sanji smiled, leaning in to finally kiss Law properly, when he heard a yelp from behind him and shot upright.

"Sorry, Captain! I was bringing your requested change of bandages," Penguin was grimacing, hands flailing in front of him. "I didn't realize you had company."

"Just leave them on the dresser," Law didn't seem angry or embarrassed, his tone perfectly neutral. "Thank you."

"I'll make sure you aren't disturbed," Penguin added, grinning rather cheekily now, and he backed out of the room with a nod and a pointed glance in Sanji's direction (again, at least, Sanji _thought _it was in his direction) that probably was some sort of 'don't you dare hurt him' warning.

"Your crew really loves you," Sanji mentioned, probably needlessly, and Law nodded.

"I'm not sure why sometimes, but they do. I appreciate it more than I can ever express, though," he leaned back a little more, eyes drifting toward the stack of bandages. "I should probably…"

"Oh. Yeah," Sanji backed off, seating himself on the edge of the bed. "Do you…need help?"

"I…" Law ducked his head. "I need to tell you something. I don't need the bandages, but for some reason it makes me feel better to wear them than to see…" he rubbed his right shoulder, looking down at the remainder of his arm. "Here," he undid the fastening and let the bandage unravel, sliding it off of his shoulder to pool on the bed. He turned his head away, obviously still ashamed, and Sanji moved closer so that he could look, not sure of what he'd find.

It was…not what he'd expected, that was for sure. He'd seen missing limbs before, of course, with Zeff, and he remembered the severance point being jagged, uneven with scar tissue and chunks of flesh, but Law's arm looked almost sculpted. The skin was smooth, rounded and even, cutting off just before the bottom of the heart tattooed on his shoulder. "Did you…" he stopped, and Law nodded.

"Yes. I wasn't able to reattach my arm since I didn't make the initial cut, and I can't reattach nerves…well, perhaps I'd be able to, but not in the middle of a battlefield. But I did what I could after the fact to make it not look so…" he still wasn't looking at it directly, ducking his head and sighing. "I've spoken with your shipwright and he's offered to build me a replacement arm, although I think he was rather disappointed that I didn't want lasers or fireballs or a gun of some sort built into it."

"Yeah, he would be," Sanji half-smiled, but at least that explained why Law had been sneaking around to see Franky over the past week. "He'll figure something out. I mean, if he can work with all the tiny parts he does to fix the Sunny and build his weapons, it should be easy to create a hand that functions pretty normally, right?"

"So he tells me," Law didn't sound convinced, but then, he didn't know Franky as well as Sanji did. "I'm sure there'll still be a rather large learning curve, which is why I've decided to not travel with you all to Wano. I'm useless if I can't fight, and until I know for sure how much of a hindrance this arm will be initially, it's best if I don't do something that inadvertently makes me a liability."

"I get it," Sanji promised, because he did, even though he really wanted Law to come so he could keep him close. "You…if you don't want to put the bandages on, you don't have to. Not for me, anyway," he wasn't sure how Law would take it, but he reached out with careful fingers, brushing the edge of the rounded skin.

Law shivered, gripping the edge of the bed tightly, and Sanji pulled his hand back immediately.

"Sorry."

The surgeon shook his head, still refusing to look up. Sanji leaned closer to him, reaching to grip his chin and turning his head so that their eyes met.

"It's just a reminder," Law said in a low voice. "That I still wasn't strong enough, that I couldn't…I couldn't even _avenge _him the way I wanted to. I knew I wouldn't be able to defeat Doflamingo, but I thought maybe the universe would grant me some uncommon luck for _once. _I feel like I've failed him, somehow…"

"You haven't," Sanji said, feeling sure of that. "Fuck, Law, he wanted you to _live. _You're alive. That's what matters," he said firmly, and Law nodded once, jerkily. "Now fucking kiss me already, before somebody else from your crew barges in here."

"_Yes," _Law sounded immensely relieved, hooking his arm around Sanji's neck and pulling him in. He kissed like a man craving human touch, like if he could he'd squirm under Sanji's skin and hide there until all the pain went away, and Sanji had _never _seen him like this before. He gently guided Law back to lie against the pillows, never breaking the kiss, and flattened his body on top of the other man's to give him the contact he so desperately needed.

Law pulled away then, looking at Sanji with half-lidded eyes. "I realized something back there."

"What?" Sanji asked, a little hesitantly, because with Law it was always hard to tell what was on his mind.

"I never wanted to die. I always thought I_ would_, maybe, because the situation was so unfavorable, but I didn't _want _to. And I think, considering how bad my injuries were, if I had truly given up on life my body would have shut down. That it didn't, and that something kept me going…maybe my life is meant for something else after all," he spoke the words as if he'd never considered such a thing before, and Sanji sighed and tried to figure out the best way to respond.

"You weren't born to be some sort of…harbinger of revenge against Doflamingo," he started, keeping his eyes locked with Law's to be sure the other man was listening to him. "You didn't even meet him until you were ten or something, right? And from what you've told me, Corazon didn't sound like the type of guy who'd only want you to take down his brother and then die. That's not what he fucking _wanted _for you, Law."

"Perhaps not," Law conceded with a heavy sigh. "But…" he didn't finish his sentence, the sound of footsteps making them both look toward the door, but somehow Sanji wasn't surprised at all to see Zoro standing there.

"Hey."

The swordsman grunted, walking over to the bed and seating himself beside them. He reached out, carding his fingers through Law's hair, and the other man let his eyes close and pushed his head up toward the offered affection.

"I'm surprised you lasted so long without making me tell you," Zoro chuckled, Sanji shrugging in response.

"I knew it had to be something pretty bad for you to be so secretive about it, and I think that probably scared me more than I wanted to admit," he left his hands on Law's chest, watching them rise and fall with his breathing as if needing to reassure himself that he was alive and here and, at least, relatively okay.

"Yeah, well," Zoro didn't look especially guilty, in any case, and Law was staring at them both as if he couldn't believe they'd still voluntarily want to stay with him. Sanji knew it would be short-lived, because somebody's personality couldn't change _that _drastically in only a few days, but he guessed that this time around the brush with his own mortality had hit Law a lot harder than he himself had probably expected and things like that tended to change your world-view a little.

Still, he had to admit it was at least a little validating, because Law was still incredibly hard to read sometimes and this didn't really leave any question as to how he did feel about both of them. Sometimes it was hard to remember how little self-worth Law actually had, and how incredulous he always seemed to be to realize that people _could _like him.

He got an idea then, just a niggling in the back of his mind, but Law obviously needed _something _and Sanji didn't know what else he could do in that moment.

"Hey. You got a bathroom in here or what?" he asked, and Law pointed toward another door at the back of the bedroom. Sanji got off of the bed, slipping into the tiny room and glancing at himself in the mirror. He stared at his reflection for a while, mulling things over in his head, before making his decision.

He _did _actually use the toilet before leaving the room (it was as sparsely appointed as the rest of Law's quarters, everything stark and sterile and while there was working plumbing, it was nothing like Franky's work on the Sunny)., sauntering back out and perching on the edge of the bed.

Zoro and Law weren't really talking, but Zoro's fingers were still brushing through Law's hair slowly.

Sanji didn't know exactly how to state what he was about to say, other than to just come out and _say it, _because it was going to sound odd whichever choice he made. "Take my arm."

"What?" Law asked slowly, blinking at him.

"Just for tonight," Sanji clarified, because as much as he knew Law was struggling with only one arm it really _would _be impossible for him to cook if he gave it up for longer, and he had a lot of mouths to feed in the morning since a lot of Law's crew, more often than not, decided they wanted to eat his food instead of finding something in town itself.

"It's not going to do me any good to argue with you, is it?" Law already had a resigned half-smile on his face, and after a few seconds he nodded. "Very well. If it's just for the night, I can't see what harm will come of it. Mr. Zoro, would you mind passing me Kikoku?" he held out his hand, and Zoro reached over to grab the nodachi, unsheathing it and placing it carefully on the bed beside Law. "Thank you."

"Go for it," Sanji closed his eyes when Law called up his Room, even though he _knew _it wouldn't hurt, and when Law told him he was finished he blinked slowly because he hadn't felt _anything _except…

"Holy shit that's weird," he breathed out slowly, glancing down and trying not to feel too sick when he saw the stump where his arm should be. He could still feel his arm and hand, even though the sensations were a little muted, like when he was leaning on it for too long and his fingers went numb for a while, but when Law flexed his…Sanji's…fingers, he could _feel _it, even though it wasn't his brain directing the movements.

"Mm," Law nodded, staring down at the arm. "It's rather off-putting, isn't it?"

"What does it feel like for you?" Sanji shifted a little, trying to remember he was carrying far less weight on his right side now and being careful not to overbalance.

"I can feel it, of course, but it's not quite as sharp as if it were my own flesh," he curled his fingers. "At least your arm fits me rather well."

"Yeah," Sanji had to admit that was true. He and Law were built much the same, and while Law was taller, their arms were of a similar length. Sanji's skin was paler, and of course he didn't have the tattoos, but overall it didn't look _that _odd. "So. Bed?"

"I think bed would be a good idea," Law was still staring at him like he wanted to do something, or say something, and Sanji had no clue what it was.

"Look, whatever you've been stopping yourself from doing, just do it," he said, and tried not to fall over when Law damn near pounced on him, holding him tight. He wrapped his own arm around Law's waist, sinking into the embrace, and he should have known all along that was what Law wanted. Maybe it was because he hated to look weak, but even if _he _was the one who needed comfort, he seemed to prefer being in control of it. Sanji really couldn't remember Law ever voluntarily _letting _himself be held, really, but couldn't say he minded it all that much.

He closed his eyes and pressed his nose against Law's collarbone, breathing him in. Now that he was here, he really didn't know _how _he'd lasted nearly a week without looking for some answers. Zoro's hand landed heavily on his back, rubbing between his shoulder-blades, and Sanji was about to snark that he wasn't the one who needed comforting before he realized that, in a way, he kind of did.

Law eased his way out of the embrace after a time, getting out of the bed and padding to the bathroom. Sanji flopped back against the pillows, shifting around a little to get comfortable. He felt Zoro lay down behind him, chin hooked over his shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sanji finally asked, feeling like it was safe to do so now that he knew the truth.

"He didn't want me to," Zoro replied. "I didn't see it happen…after the fight, he was so weak from blood-loss and exhaustion that I had to carry him to the ship, but all he said was not to tell you before he passed out, so I had to honor that."

Of course he did, Sanji thought with a sigh. To Zoro, honor was everything, and while he couldn't blame the swordsman for not telling him because of that, he'd still hoped Law would have thought more highly of him than he did.

"I didn't think he was gonna make it, you know?" Zoro said after a few breaths, his voice soft in a way that Sanji had rarely heard it. "And he…since Chopper was with you guys, we had no doctor. All we could do was wait for him to wake up," he sighed heavily, his arm tightening around Sanji. "I knew you'd kill me if I let him die, but I didn't know what to do."

"It's fine," Sanji promised, locking his fingers with Zoro's and pulling the other man's hand to rest against his chest. "It wouldn't have been your fault anyway, idiot, but I'm glad he's alive," he said, although 'glad' was kind of an understatement. Yes, he'd only known Law for about a month or so, but he still had a hard time now thinking about life without him around. He'd spent almost all of his time before telling himself not to get too attached because everything was temporary, but somehow it had happened anyway.

It was still temporary, of course, but maybe now that Law's death was quite so imminent he could actually enjoy what time they had instead of worrying constantly.

He heard the toilet flush, trying not to focus on how odd it was to feel his arm and hand moving and touching things in a different room while he had no control of it, and looked up when Law walked back over.

The other man climbed into the bed, throwing his…well, Sanji's…arm over the blond's waist. He didn't say anything; his demeanor, as Sanji had suspected, was back to being indifferent. He knew that strange vulnerability wouldn't last, especially not now that he seemed fully reassured Sanji wasn't viewing him any differently because of his missing arm.

He could tell when Zoro fell asleep, the other man's weight slumping farther against his back. For some reason, he couldn't do the same, his mind racing and his body unable to relax even when in the past being between Law and Zoro had always _helped _him to sleep.

"Sanji," Law didn't open his eyes, but somehow he knew anyway. "Go to sleep. You're not getting rid of me that easily," he pressed his lips to Sanji's forehead, lingering there far longer than he needed to.

Sanji slid his fingers from Zoro's grip, pressing his hand to Law's chest. He could feel the surgeon's heartbeat, still steady and strong even after everything he'd been through, and that more than anything else convinced him that maybe it was time to take his own advice about not worrying so much.

It probably wouldn't work, but at least he could try.

**Notes:**

**1. **Yes, this is the promised sequel! I had a request from Strawhatter-ya for Sanji's reaction to Law losing his arm in this 'verse, and somehow that turned into a sequel (and more, perhaps, but that's a ways off yet so we'll see if anybody's still reading by then…). This is of course AU because I have no idea where Oda's going with Dressrosa, or if Law's actually going to lose his arm, but it generated more fic ideas that way so that was the path I chose to take with this.

**2. **I hope this was an okay first chapter for the fic! I know Law was probably a little OOC but I don't think it's unreasonable to think he'd want some comfort after going through something particularly traumatic.

**3. **The title of this fic is from another O.A.R. song of the same name, and it's a song that always reminds me of Law because it's about getting knocked down so much that eventually you start to wonder if it'll ever get better, and that's definitely where he is in canon at the moment…

**4. **As always, feel free to comment if you feel so inclined! And if you want to follow me on tumblr or twitter (I usually post more writing updates on twitter, but I make graphics and do character analyses and write other ficlets and drabbles on tumblr) I'm kikokus on both websites (my twitter is private, but I pretty much accept anybody who sends a follow request)!


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 2/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3613  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Recent chapters, but especially chapter 769.

**Chapter Two**

"What's that for?"

"Your crew," Sanji replied, stirring a large vat of oatmeal. He hadn't really slept the night before, laying there staring into the darkness, and while he was fucking exhausted now he knew he couldn't shirk his duties.

"My crew?" Law sounded confused, prompting Sanji to turn and look at him. It was the first time he'd set foot in the Sunny's galley since they'd all reunited, and Sanji could tell that he was anxious to be there and encounter everybody that didn't know about his arm yet. Sanji was glad that he _was_, of course, because it showed that he did trust all of them, but trying to anticipate what all of their reactions would be was probably eating away at him. He was dressed casually, hair still a mess of bed-head and a in a short-sleeved V-neck shirt that not only made it impossible to hide his arm, but also showed off a fair amount of skin on his chest that Sanji was more than appreciative of. He was also wearing a pair of dark-rimmed glasses, the morning news and a cup of fresh-brewed coffee spread out on the bar in front of him, and while they may have been practical Sanji was convinced the glasses only made him look hotter.

For the life of him he couldn't understand why Law was so certain Sanji would suddenly think he was some sort of hideous monster, because the man was one of the best-looking human beings Sanji had ever laid eyes on, and he didn't think anything could change his opinion on that

"Yeah. The first day I had a whole crowd of them in here so now I always make extra for whoever wants it," he checked the pot, seeing that it was finished, and set it aside with a large tray containing a pitcher of milk and assorted toppings.

"I told them not to bother you…"

"It's not a bother," Sanji waved the words off. "You should know by now that I love cooking."

"Still," Law sighed, and Sanji spun around and crossed to the bar. He leaned over, gripping Law's chin in his hand, and pressed a short kiss to his lips. "Hmm."

"It's fine. I promise," he straightened up. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Whatever the rest of you are having," Law took a sip of his coffee, setting it down and frowning before turning a page of the paper. "Don't give me any special treatment."

"I'm making French toast," Sanji replied, digging through the cabinets for the griddle he needed. "And I know how you feel about bread."

"Ugh," Law sounded disgusted, Sanji grinning to himself because Law's aversion to bread would never fail to amuse him. "Then whatever won't take you too much effort to prepare."

"Got it," Sanji grinned and turned around, humming while he got out the other ingredients He worked on preparing the French toast, setting aside a couple of eggs for Law's breakfast, and when he turned back around to see if the other man needed a coffee refill or anything he was a little shocked at how…relaxed Law appeared.

None of the usual tension was evident in his body, his posture casual and the usual dark aura that always surrounded him was diminished so much Sanji could hardly sense it.

"What?" Law looked up from the paper, sensing Sanji staring at him, and lifted one eyebrow a little. "What's the matter?"

"You look…at peace," he said slowly, and Law seemed to consider that before nodding.

"I suppose I am, in a way. Doflamingo's not a threat to me anymore, and I've spent half my life with his presence hanging over me so to have that entirely removed is…it's freeing," he admitted with a small laugh.

"He's not dead though, is he?" Sanji turned back to the griddle, dipping a piece of bread into the egg mixture and placing it on the heat. "Luffy said he wasn't."

"No," Law admitted. "Maybe he should be, but right now I don't care if Kaido catches him or if he gets sent to rot in Impel Down for the rest of his life. I've got what I needed from him, and if I can make him feel even a fraction of what he put me through, I'll be content," Law's voice had gone dark again, something vindictive and harsh in his tone. Sanji couldn't fault him, not knowing what he did, but it was a vast shift from how he'd been only moments earlier.

"So what does that mean?" Sanji finished dipping the first batch of toast and cracked two eggs onto the griddle, grabbing a spatula and watching everything cook.

"I took some…things from him," Law said vaguely, although a glare from Sanji made him continue. "His heart, of course, because that's the easiest way to ensure he'll never be able to hurt me. Let him be afraid every moment that his life could end and there would be literally nothing he could do to stop it. I could stab his heart, or crush it, or leave him in excruciating pain, and he won't know it's coming," his teeth were bared in a rictus, golden eyes flashing. "And, well, since he took my arm, I only felt it fair to return the favor. He uses his hands as much as I do when using his power, so weakening him that way seemed like an even trade. It might not have caused him pain, but I could tell you were uncomfortable last night feeling your arm doing things that you weren't directing, so imagine that feeling for a lifetime."

And fuck, Sanji thought as he turned back away, sometimes he forgot how fucking _creepy _Law could be. Yes, he knew it wasn't his real personality, but it had been a part of him that had been created by what he'd been through in his life and knowing _that _only made Sanji feel worse for him.

"Yeah. Fair," he said instead, not sure if that even made sense, and told himself to concentrate on his work before he ended up burning something. "Remind me never to piss you off."

"You won't," Law promised, the darkness that had surrounded him dissipating again. "I doubt I could ever despise anybody as much as I did him, and I'm content with that. Carrying that much hatred with me for so long…it's going to take me a while to let that go," he stated, and Sanji was glad he at least was _aware _of when he was slipping back into that mindset that seemed solely focused on his personal vendetta against Doflamingo.

Sanji figured the first batch of French toast was cooked perfectly, transferring the slices onto a plate he placed inside the oven to keep warm before repeating the process with the next few pieces of bread.

The galley door opened then, Sanji glancing over and relaxing when he saw it was just Penguin and Shachi coming to collect the breakfast for the rest of their crew. "Morning, Sanji!" Shachi called to him, waving, and Sanji grinned at him in reply.

"Hey, guys. That's yours," he gestured with the spatula toward the large vat and the tray, and they headed over quickly. Law's crew, at least the ones he'd interacted with, all seemed to be good people and certainly were always in better moods than their captain, but he liked having them around.

"I thought I told you not to bother him for food," Law mentioned idly, still reading the paper, and Penguin and Shachi nearly ran into each other as they turned to look.

"C-Captain!" Penguin stuttered, standing up straighter and setting his hands on his hips. "It's nice to see you out…"

"Cut the shit and don't change the subject," Law raised an eyebrow, but he was smirking and Sanji knew he was pretending to be annoyed in order to make the other men sweat a little. "Sanji here already has enough work to do feeding his own crew and the guests they've taken on board, and we're practically anchored in the middle of town so finding good places to eat can hardly be a challenge. Yet, you persist in making him do more work for, I'm sure, no repayment whatsoever."

"Um," Penguin visibly swallowed, turning his head toward Shachi, and the other man merely shrugged. "Well, he…"

"Your Captain's being an ass," Sanji checked the eggs, removing them from the heat and placing them on a plate with a few slices of salmon he'd smoked himself and a small bowl of the oatmeal. He went to the fridge, grabbing a pitcher of fresh-squeezed juice made from a mixture of local fruits, and poured a glass of it that he set beside the serving tray. "And since I just made him a special breakfast, he's also not one to talk."

"Brat," Law replied, smiling over the rim of his coffee cup. Penguin and Shachi were looking between them as if watching a tennis match, and while Shachi seemed mostly confused, Penguin was frowning in a way that said he was putting two and two together (although, since he'd walked in on them about to make out the night before, it should have been obvious).

"If it's too much trouble, we won't ask again," Shachi eventually said, prompting Sanji to break off his staring contest with Law and turn back to him.

"It's fine," he promised. "I already told your captain, I love cooking, so it's no bother. Take it," he gestured, and they gladly did.

"Glad you're feeling better, Cap!" Shachi called before they left, the door swinging behind them only for Nami to come through before it had even settled again.

"Sanji-kun! I've got news…" she stopped, noticing Law a lot faster than his own crewmates had, and she blinked for a few long breaths before taking a step back. "Torao?"

"Good morning, Miss Nami," Law was obviously trying to sound neutral but there was a tiny waver to his voice Sanji immediately picked up on. "It's nice to see you again."

"Yes. Nice," she said haltingly, moving forward a little hesitantly. "I…"

"Here, eat your breakfast before it gets cold. Well, cold-er," he amended, since the salmon already was. He could tell Nami wasn't sure if she should mention Law's arm or just ignore it, so he took it upon himself to break the tension. "Do I need to cut anything for you, or…"

"No, this should be fine. I think I can manage," Law replied smoothly, and Sanji might not have been consciously thinking about it but he _had _made Law all things that didn't require him to use more than one utensil to eat. "Thank you."

"Yeah," Sanji spun back to check on his toast, hearing Nami's heels click across the floor as she took the barstool beside Law.

"You can talk about it if you want, Miss Nami," he said, mouth obviously full by the muffled sound of his words (and honestly, Sanji thought with a grin, for as intimidating as he was Law tended to eat like some sort of oversized chipmunk by storing food in his cheeks so they puffed out, and it was fucking adorable). "I've…at least come to terms with it now."

Nami didn't answer, and when Sanji turned around she'd reached to lay a hand on Law's shoulder, sliding down to rest on his back. "I'm glad you're alive. We all are, I think."

"I appreciate that," Law sounded genuine, at least, and it was a nice change from his usual self-deprecating ways. "But you said you had news."

"Oh! Yes," she looked back at Sanji, her eyes narrowing and a smirk on her lips. "I'm sure you'll be happy to hear this, but apparently some of Kaido's ships have been spotted in the area and are heading toward Dressrosa. We don't know how many people he's sending there, but word of the factory's destruction would have gotten to him by now so chances are he's checking it out personally. The Sunny's fairly recognizable, and if we get trapped in the middle of a convoy of his we wouldn't stand a chance," she explained. "So until we know where he's going or what his next move is, it's probably better to hide the ship in one of the coves around the island and lay low here."

"So we're delayed again?" Sanji raised an eyebrow and she sighed in response.

"It looks that way. I talked to the Samurai already and they're fine with waiting, and I think we could all use a bit more time off since whatever happens next we're going to have a pissed-off yonko after us and that's not going to be easy," she pointed out, glancing toward Law.

"That's very true, and probably wise. Not that I would have come to Wano regardless, but rushing into things never turns out well. I've known that for years and I still disregarded my own advice, and look what it got me," he looked down at his arm, frowning.

Nami patted his shoulder standing up and stretching her arms above her head while Sanji watched appreciatively. "Luffy's been badgering me, so how long until breakfast?" she asked, and Sanji looked down at the griddle.

"Ten minutes," he decided, figuring even if not all the toast was done by then there'd be enough to get Luffy started.

"I'll hold him off until then," she promised, smiling to both of them before she left, and again she'd barely passed the door when Zoro lumbered in, blinking and seemingly still half-asleep.

"Hey. Morning," he yawned, stopping beside Law and throwing his arm over the surgeon's shoulders. Law had a rather stunned look on his face at the casual embrace, but he sank into it quickly. "Food?"

"Coming," Sanji replied, not surprised to see Zoro's hand inching toward Law's plate. "Leave him alone, Marimo. You can wait for five minutes."

"You're so nice to him, Cook," Zoro sighed, resting his cheek on Law's hair and frowning. "You never make me special food."

"It's because he's nice to _me_. You should try it sometime," Sanji replied, starting on the last batch of toast.

"Nah, it's more fun to piss you off," Zoro snickered and Sanji rolled his eyes, hiding a smile by facing away. Of course it would be, but then, if Zoro _did _start suddenly being nice to him he'd assume he'd been put under a curse or something.

He could hear the swordsman come up behind him and anticipated some sort of contact, but he didn't expect Zoro to grab his arm, spin him around, dip him halfway to the floor and thoroughly plunder his mouth.

He got kicked in the head for it, as much as Sanji could from that position, but when that didn't dissuade him Sanji smacked his thigh with the spatula he was still holding. Zoro thankfully pulled him upright then, still holding his arm with one hand and the other arm snug around his waist, and Sanji blinked at him and licked his lips.

Zoro being spontaneous wasn't really a normal occurrence, and while the action was delivered with his normal lack of grace and subtlety, at least it was an effort and Sanji appreciated that. Zoro had a grin on his face, obviously expecting some sort of reply, and that was exactly what Sanji wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of.

"If you ever molest me in my kitchen again I'm kicking you through the porthole," he threatened, brandishing the spatula at Zoro again before turning and making sure the food wasn't burned.

It wasn't, thankfully, and he knew he only had a couple of minutes before Luffy came bursting in so he started getting everything else set out for breakfast.

Zoro went back over to Law, arm slung over his shoulders again, and this time Law didn't look nearly so alarmed. He let his head rest against Zoro's chest, eyes half-closed, and Sanji smiled to himself at how far those two had come.

It was nice.

000

"Hey. Need help?"

"Are you ill?" Sanji reached over to feel Zoro's forehead with the back of his hand, laughing as Zoro irritably swatted it away.

"No. Wanted to talk," Zoro stepped up beside him at the sink, taking a plate out of the soapy water and drying it off. He set it aside, repeating the process with a few more dishes while Sanji waited for him to speak.

Breakfast had been mostly drama-free in the end. Chopper, of course, had thrown himself into Law's lap and refused to leave, and Law allowed him to sit there with what seemed to be a great deal more patience than he usually exhibited. Everybody at least seemed to realize the other man didn't particularly want to talk about his arm and left it alone, although Sanji caught most of them sneaking furtive glances in Law's direction from time to time.

Franky managed to solve that problem by standing up and announcing that he'd finished work on the initial model of Law's robotic arm and left with him so they could see if it fit him properly. Everybody else dispersed after that, leaving just Sanji in the galley as usual to clean up, but for once Zoro had hung around as well.

"Well?" he asked after a few long minutes of silence, not wanting to be kept in the dark. "What is it?"

"Law. He's…you're really good for him," he muttered. Sanji almost lost his grip on the glass he was cleaning, managing to grab it before it hit the floor and shattered.

"I'm _what?" _

"Look, this last week he's been…nobody could get to him. It was like he'd thrown all of his walls back up and was just hidden somewhere inside this shell or something. He was just…not _here, _y'know?" he frowned, bracing his hands on the counter. "I mean, his crew, and even Luffy…nothing anybody did got any sort of reaction from him, but you go to see him and he's at least closer to normal."

"I don't think it's me," Sanji said, trying to cover up how much he was actually affected by the words, because fuck, he'd always considered himself expendable and the thought of being some sort of…_life _motivation to somebody wasn't a burden he wanted to carry. "I mean, yeah, he told me he was worried that I'd feel different or something, but it's probably just that he was relieved that wasn't gonna happen that perked him up."

Zoro grunted, obviously unconvinced, and Sanji breathed out slowly through his nose and turned to the side, making sure Zoro was looking at him.

"This isn't going to last, Marimo. We all know that, and he's not the type of guy to put all his eggs in a basket that's got a hole in the bottom," he didn't know if Zoro would understand that particular analogy, but it seemed to fit. "He's got his own crew, and they're not gonna follow us around forever. This isn't some fucking romance novel, and one day he's gonna go his own way and we'll go ours and that'll be it," he forced his voice to stay steady, because he was still convinced of that but thinking about it _hurt. _

"So what?"

"So he's not gonna find…what? The will to live? Just because I'm around. He's too realistic for that," he shoved his hands in the dishwater again, scrubbing a little too violently at a mug and making water splash over the edge of the basin.

"I know that," Zoro said, sounding exasperated. "But you've got to stop thinking that you're not as important as the rest of us, because you fucking _are, _Cook," he grabbed Sanji's shoulders and spun him around. His fingers were tight, digging into Sanji's shirt. "Admitting you help him doesn't mean he's weak or that you're building yourself up too much," he looked serious, eye boring into Sanji's, and Sanji sighed.

"Well, whatever. I'm glad he's better," he hoped Zoro would drop the topic now. It always made him uncomfortable to talk about his own personal feelings of inadequacy, especially because if Zoro was involved it never failed to remind him of Thriller Bark, or of any of the times he was willing to sacrifice himself for his crew but he'd never even gotten the _chance _to and that rankled.

Not because he necessarily wanted to die a hero, but because it always seemed like nobody believed he _could, _and yeah, that was always going to sting. He knew the universe hated him, but that it hated him so much it wouldn't even let him _try_ to go out with a bang made him feel really shitty.

"Sanji."

Sanji looked over, because Zoro saying his name was still incredibly rare. This time the kiss Zoro gave him was gentle, hand cupping his chin and guiding him into it softly. Sanji felt his eyes flutter closed, letting Zoro lead, and when he opened them again the look on Zoro's face was still incredibly sombre.

"What was that for?" Sanji cleared his throat, brow furrowed in confusion.

"Because," Zoro replied with a shrug. "If that's what it takes to get you off of your pity pot, I'll gladly fucking do it," he half-smiled then and Sanji _wanted _to come back with a snarky response, but he really couldn't say anything since Zoro was right.

"Maybe I did help him. A little," he conceded, hearing Zoro groan, but it was all he was going to admit to.

It was all that was true, anyway, and he was at least sure of that.

**Notes:**

**1.** One of the things Sanji and Law definitely have in common is that both of them seem to have some pretty major self-worth issues, and while I mentioned it in the last fic I didn't really go into it as far as Sanji was concerned until this chapter. It's definitely canon, though, and one of the parts that always hits me the hardest is during Fishman Island where he seems honestly shocked the rest of the crew would go so far to save his life, and that even after all they'd been through together he somehow didn't think anybody would go out of their way to keep him alive which…says a lot about how he views himself, I think.

**2. **Some of the things in this fic are what I personally would be fine with happening after Dressrosa, but since we have no idea how that part of the story is going to go yet I feel okay being a little self-indulgent with certain elements of the plot…

**3. **I do promise there will be smut in this fic, because I'm hardly going to write a threesome fic and _not _include smut scenes, but these guys have a few things to work through first and then those will will happen ;)

**4. **Thank you all for the kind words I've received so far, and I'm very glad so many of you enjoyed the first fic enough to want to give this sequel a chance!


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 3/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3795  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Recent chapters, but especially chapter 769.

**Special Notes: **This chapter does contain some description of an anxiety attack, so proceed with caution if that affects you.

**Chapter Three**

"We need to talk."

"What about Nami-swan?" he decided playing dumb was the best course of action, even though he knew damn well what she wanted to talk to him about. He'd been expecting this conversation since the morning they'd left for Dressrosa, when she'd found out that he, Law and Zoro had all shared a room the night before despite having plenty of other rooms one of them could have stayed in.

It wasn't a conversation he was looking forward to, at any rate, since he had no idea how Nami would react or how…open-minded she would be about the type of relationship they were attempting. Luffy and Robin knew, but Robin was a good deal more worldly and Sani had the strange feeling she'd partaken in some rather…unconventional sexual situations herself (which led to his brain helpfully supplying him all the advantages being able to produce unlimited hands would have and he tried to brush those away because this conversation was going to be hard enough without him getting aroused right before it) and Luffy, well, he didn't care as long as everybody involved was happy.

The rest of them, though, Sanji was reluctant to tell. He knew most of them knew about him and Law, at least, and were okay with it, but adding Zoro to the mix, especially considering how he and Zoro normally got along…yeah, that might take a little more time to settle.

"You know," she said, sounding impatient, and he stood up from scrubbing an invisible spot of food on the countertop. He set the dishcloth down, turning around and leaning back against the counter before he let himself meet her eyes. "I'm not mad at you, Sanji-kun, but I'd like to know what's going on."

He sighed, knowing he needed something to get him through this, and put a pot of coffee to brew, waiting until it had and he'd poured both himself and Nami a cup before starting to explain. Just the basics, of course, because anything that Law had told him about his past or his life he would never reveal to anybody, but he figured she'd get the general idea.

When he'd finished, he took a long drink of coffee, and once he lowered the cup he saw she was looking at him with a rather coy smile and immediately felt a stab of fear because _that _look on Nami's face was never a good thing.

"I can't believe I didn't see it," she said, hands wrapped around her own cup. "You hate each other."

"I don't know if we ever really did, Nami-san," he admitted with a shrug. "Yeah, we disagree a lot, but I could never say I _hated _Zoro," he explained, lighting up a cigarette and leaning back on the barstool.

"How long?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Ah…Thriller Bark, for sure," Sanji didn't want to elaborate, because that was between him and Zoro. Yes, Brook knew, and he was pretty sure Robin did as well (because Robin knew _everything), _but otherwise it wasn't his place to say what had transpired with Kuma. Not only because it was still a massive blow to his own ego, but also because if Luffy ever got word of it he'd just feel guilty, and he had no reason to.

"You _know_," Nami sat up straighter, eyes widening a little and a tiny gasp leaving her parted lips. "He wouldn't even tell Luffy what had happened or why he was so badly injured."

"Yeah. I know," he touched his side without meaning to, because fuck, he had been _so mad _at Zoro for doing that at the time, and there was still a phantom pain there when he dwelled on it for too long.

"Okay," she let it go, apparently deciding that it wasn't worth it to press this time. "And he feels the same about you?"

"I think he's…getting there," Sanji replied. He was pretty sure Zoro loved him, or at least, felt something that _he _considered love for him, but he doubted anybody would view it as such in the conventional sense. It seemed to be working for them so far, though.

"Good. You deserve somebody who makes you happy, Sanji-kun," she smiled and tilted her head to the side, and he sighed dramatically and blew a couple of heart-shaped smoke rings into the air.

"I hope you know that this would be _much easier _if that person were you, my darling," he spun around on the stool and she laughed, patting his shoulder. Nami, much as it sometimes pained him to admit it, had truly become like a sister to him. He loved her, and he loved everything _about _her, but he knew deep inside that their relationship would never cross that line and he was becoming increasingly okay with that fact.

"Hmm, I could do worse," she winked, resting her chin on her hand. "Well, if all of you are good with it, I'm not going to say anything. What about the two of them, though? Do they like each other?" she pressed, and Sanji nodded.

"They're starting to, I think. I mean, if I wasn't around it's not like they would have ever gotten together by themselves, but it works," he decided, butting out the cigarette and going back to his coffee.

"Good. I'll let you get back to cleaning," she stood and patted his shoulder, walking to the door while he stared after her longingly. "Oh…" she stopped before leaving completely, half-turning. "Law. Is he…is he okay? His arm…"

"He will be," Sanji assured her, and he was mostly certain of that.

"Okay. Good," she smiled one last time before leaving, and Sanji groaned and let his forehead thump against the bar. Three down, four to go, and he just hoped the others would all take it so well when they inevitably found out…because, as he'd long since discovered, with their crew it was hard to keep anything a secret for long.

000

When he entered Law's room later that afternoon, he was glad to see that the other man had finished with Franky and was back in his own quarters. Law was laying on the bed, staring up the ceiling, and Sanji's eyes were drawn to the metal arm he was holding across his chest. At first glance, it seemed to be the appropriate size and didn't look all that odd (besides, of course, being robotic), but he couldn't tell how Law was feeling about it because the man's face was entirely expressionless.

"Hey," he said by way of greeting, hopping onto the bed and pillowing his head on Law's shoulder. "How is it?"

"…manageable," Law decided after a moment of silence. He frowned, and a few seconds later the fingers of the hand flexed. "Your shipwright assures me that when he's finished the arm and it's actually attached properly the response time will be much greater, but for the moment there's a bit of a delay and it's irritating," he narrowed his eyes, concentrating again, and the arm eventually flopped off of his stomach to lie beside him. "At least it's not heavy."

"You don't look very happy," Sanji noted, reaching to touch the metal and finding it cool under his fingertips. Law shrugged, the movement short and jerky, before letting out a rather long-suffering sigh.

"It's nothing," he spoke slowly, as if he already knew that Sanji wasn't going to take that for an answer, and the arm flopped a little again, more reminiscent of a dying fish than anything else. "Fuck."

"Law?" Sanji pushed himself up a little, immediately concerned, and Law bit his lip, reaching to cover his eyes with his real hand and taking a shuddery breath. "Hey, what's…"

"If I ask you to leave, you won't, will you?" Law's voice had a tremor in it and Sanji debated that for a few seconds. No, he probably wouldn't, but at the same time it would be really fucking insensitive of him to stay if Law wanted to be alone.

"If you want me to, I will," he decided, moving back on the bed and stopping when the robotic arm twitched a little.

"_Shit," _Law hiccupped, and Sanji honestly didn't know if he should go or stay. He'd never seen Law this close to breaking down, not even the night before, and part of him felt like he shouldn't be there. Law didn't say anything else, the arm still twitching feebly, and Sanji had no idea what he should do.

"Do you want me to leave?" he finally asked, getting a jerky head-shake from Law that was accompanied by a frustrated growl, and Sanji suddenly clued into what was going on: Law was trying to keep him from leaving, but he couldn't get the arm to do what he wanted to.

He didn't want to uncover his eyes, and actually _asking _Sanji to stay would be beneath him, but if he'd have had his normal arm he could have just held him in place to assure Sanji that he wanted him to be there.

Still, that was a pretty clear sign, so Sanji lay back down, curling his body close and feeling Law shaking beneath him. He wasn't sure if the other man was capable of crying, but if he was, Sanji had no doubt he would be and it made his chest ache.

"I thought I'd be okay with it," Law's voice was thick, and he certainly _sounded _close to tears. "I thought I was used to it, but I can't even…_fuck!"_

"Franky said it would get better, right? This is just a prototype," Sanji knew he had to reassure him, somehow, even though he was crap at that normally. "Once he's got the finished product it'll be a lot better, and pretty soon you won't even remember it's mechanical," he tried to infuse as much optimism into his voice as he could, and Law feebly nodded, still keeping his eyes covered. "It's okay to be upset about it, it's…"

Law grunted, shifting his arm with quite a large amount of force, and Sanji felt it clamp heavily around his waist. "_Finally."_

"See?" Sanji nuzzled his nose against Law's neck. "Yeah, it's gonna take some time, but if anybody's stubborn enough to not stop trying until you can make it do exactly what you want, it's you."

"Your faith in me is touching," Law remarked dryly, but sarcasm was better than having a breakdown so Sanji let it slide. "I apologize for…"

"Don't," Sanji cut him off. "I'd be more concerned if you weren't freaking out about it, honestly."

Law didn't say anything, but after a few more minutes he lowered his left arm, wrapping it around Sanji's shoulders and holding him tightly.

"You're it for me," he said after another long bout of silence, and Sanji blinked, confused.

"I'm what?"

'When you told me that one day I'd find somebody else…I won't," Law sounded so certain and Sanji opened his mouth to protest, but Law kept talking. "You of all people know how much it took for me to reveal anything about myself to you, and I doubt I would ever be able to do that again. Maybe before, but this…" he shifts the arm again. "This makes everything markedly more difficult. You may not care, but I'm quite sure most people won't share your sentiments. I don't expect you to feel any sort of obligation toward me, and you know as well as I do that this is still just temporary, but I…" he stopped, eyes locked on the ceiling, and Sanji didn't know how to respond because this was just confirming what Zoro had said earlier that day and it was still something he didn't want.

"Stop bullshitting," he eventually said, poking Law 's hip. "It's not like you're some old man, you've got plenty of time to find somebody."

"Old enough," Law murmured, fingers trailing through Sanji's hair. "You don't even know my age, do you?"

"You're not much older than me," Sanji didn't think he was, anyway, even though he hadn't thought that much about it before. "So?" he added, when Law didn't say anything else.

"Twenty-six," Law sighed, as if this was some great revelation, but it was about what Sanji was expecting so he was hardly surprised.

"Law," Sanji pushed himself up more so he could look at the other man. His eyes were a little red and a little wet, and he tried to turn his head away so Sanji raised his hands and cupped the other man's cheeks, keeping him in place. "Seriously, if you think that's old…"

"I was supposed to die when I was thirteen, Sanji," Law reminded him. "And you're so young…"

"I'm fucking twenty-one, I'm not young," Sanji snorted, suddenly feeling like he needed to get away, and quickly. It happened sometimes, the choking fear that made his chest seize up and his head spin, made his heart hammer so rapidly it felt about to beat out of his chest. Normally he'd lash out and leave, but right now that was impossible with the heavy arm pinning him in place. "Let me up."

"I apologize if I've said something wrong…"

"Just let me up," Sanji repeated, and Law looked taken aback before he frowned, teeth gritted. A moment later, Sanji felt the arm shift a little although it didn't actually move off of him.

"Sorry. I'm trying…"

"Forget it," he tried to calm himself down, even though the arm felt like a vise around his waist, holding him there, and suddenly he was all too aware that it wasn't real flesh and just a concoction of metal and wires; puppetry at its finest, perhaps, but nothing more.

"Sanji," Law said, his voice soothing, and Sanji closed his eyes and told himself to focus on that and not how trapped he felt. "I apologize. I shouldn't have said that. You're in no way beholden to me nor do I expect you to share my feelings in this matter."

"Just shut up," Sanji couldn't focus on anything right now except his body's natural instinct telling him to get out of there, and Law's voice, normally something that he could listen to for hours, was something that was only making him more uneasy. His brain felt too cluttered, thoughts bouncing around so rapidly he couldn't stay focused on just one. Concentrating on getting air into his lungs was hard enough, but trying to process _words _at the same time was damn near impossible. "Fuck."

Law did as he requested, thankfully, and he closed his eyes and let himself, relax, wondering what exactly had triggered this strange bout of anxiety. Yes, he sometimes didn't think that highly of himself or his existence, but he never could have imagined that somebody _else _doing so would make him so uncomfortable. It wasn't Law's fault, and there was a very large part of him that was flattered beyond belief that somebody like Law had chosen him to confide in and trusted him with information that, he was sure, no other living person knew, but there was an even bigger part telling him that he didn't deserve it, that it was a mistake somehow, and right now he didn't know which one to listen to.

"I've been so focused on my own demons that I've neglected to realize you have some of your own," Law spoke so quietly Sanji barely heard it, and while it felt so weak to admit that Law was right, he realized that Law had placed an immense amount of trust in him but he'd never done the same, and he did have to wonder why.

"It's fine," he grumbled, not wanting to get into this now.

"You've been extraordinarily patient with me," Law continued, and the arm finally slid off of Sanji's back. "Much more than I deserve, in any case, and I feel it would be rude of me not to return the favor somehow. I hope you know you can trust me," he said the last part slowly, as if he was truly afraid Sanji still didn't, and the blond pressed a kiss to his shoulder in response. "And you can leave, if you want."

"Mm, I think I'll stay," Sanji decided, since now that he was faced with the ability to leave he felt much calmer…and, unsurprisingly, exhausted from the surge of adrenaline that had just rushed through him and then abandoned him nearly as quickly. "You're a good pillow."

"I'm all bones," Law replied, brushing Sanji's hair back from his face and pulling him into a kiss. "But in all honesty, if you feel comfortable telling me what's bothering you, I do promise to keep it to myself."

"I know," Sanji promised, getting no sleep the night before finally catching up with him and he yawned and snuggled closer. "I will."

He fell asleep before Law could answer, if he even did.

000

When he woke up, he was still lying on somebody, but it was somebody with a much broader chest and he could feel the heat of two real arms around his body. "Zoro," he mumbled, getting a grunt in return. "Where's Law?"

"Probably out in the other room," Zoro replied softly. "We talked. He told me you're still beating yourself up over the thought somebody could like you. Tell me the truth," he sounded serious and Sanji looked up at him. "On Thriller Bark…was the reason you were willing to give yourself up…was it really because you thought your dream was less important than all of ours?"

Sanji bit his lip, already knowing the answer but a little hesitant to admit it. "Yeah," he finally said. "Yeah, I…all of you, you've got dreams that exist, or ones that you can achieve. I'm looking for a fucking _magic ocean _that might not even be real! If anybody has to give up their life to make sure the rest of the crew lives, it's gonna be fucking _me_," he growled, still surprised he felt so strongly about it even all these years later. Of course, maybe it was just because it was the second time that day he'd been reminded of it, but obviously it was still something he hadn't come to terms with fully yet.

To his surprise, instead of getting angry or telling him off somehow, Zoro started to laugh, and Sanji huffed in irritation.

"What's so funny?"

"That, even after what I've told you, and what Law's told you, and what every damn person on this crew has told you, you still don't believe you're just as important as the rest of us," Zoro said, all humor gone from his voice now. "How many times would we have been fucked if you hadn't been there sneaking off and doing important shit in the background? You said once that sometimes brute strength isn't enough to win, and we've got that part covered, but pretty much every adventure we went on the only reason we all got out in one piece was because of you," he gripped Sanji's shoulders, forcing him to meet Zoro's eye.

"Zoro, I…"

"Look, it's killing me to be this nice to you right now, but you need to understand how important you are. It's not about your magic ocean, idiot, it's about who you are and what you're doing _right now, _and even if the All Blue doesn't exist, that's never gonna change," he growled, and Sanji chuckled and nodded. "Good. Now if you start being all 'woe is me' again I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Try, shitty Marimo," Sanji leaned in to kiss him, bracing his hands on either side of Zoro's body and flicking his tongue against the other man's lips. It felt…nice, to hear Zoro say those things, and all the more so because Sanji knew he wouldn't lie.

No, of course it wasn't going to suddenly inspire him with the self-worth he'd been lacking for so long, but at least it was easier to believe he meant _something _to all of them.

Now he just had to figure out how to accept that without feeling guilty that all of them were putting their faith in somebody who didn't deserve it.

He heard footsteps and turned, seeing Law come back in, and noticed that the metal arm was gone. "Hey. Where's…"

"Mr. Robo still has to complete it, of course, and since it was only giving me trouble I didn't see the need to try and wear it any longer," Law replied softly, crossing to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Eh. Okay," Sanji decided, because that was mostly the truth.

"Tell me if this makes you uncomfortable," was all Law said, kneeling carefully on the bed and draping his body over Sanji's, chin resting on his shoulder.

It was fine, Sanji realized after holding his breath for a time. The overwhelming need to run from earlier had disappeared and right now having Law close was nice. "Nah, you're good," he promised, feeling Zoro shift so that his hands were on Law's back, keeping them all together.

"Good," Law kissed the side of his neck, breath hot against his skin. "Mm, you know…Mr. Zoro told me earlier that you were disappointed I wasn't around to partake in, as he called it, 'victory sex,'" Law lowered his voice, his tongue dragging along Sanji's throat. "I think we should make up for that tonight, if you're feeling up for it."

"Fuck. _Yes," _Sanji tilted his head toward the attention, letting himself drift. Sex was something he'd never deny himself, no matter how self-loathing he was feeling, because it just felt _good. _Maybe it wasn't the healthiest thing, but at least he knew it would distract him enough that he wouldn't think about anything else…and, well, it was damn enjoyable, so he couldn't feel guilty about that. "I mean, if you are…"

"I'm…I know it doesn't matter to you," Law replied. "That's enough for me."

"Okay," Sanji grinned, letting his worries fade for the moment. He was sure that in the darkness, once the afterglow had faded, they would come slamming back…but maybe if he exhausted himself enough he'd be asleep before they did. "I need to make dinner, though…"

"Leave it," Zoro said, mouth latched onto the underside of his jaw, and getting attention from _both _of them on his rather sensitive neck was making him come apart remarkably quickly. "They can eat in town for once."

Sanji whimpered, blushing because he wasn't really _that _needy…except, right then, apparently he _was. _But trying to remember even the simplest recipe was impossible at the moment, and he decided that Zoro was right.

Even he deserved a night off once in a while.

**Notes:**

**1. **This wasn't supposed to turn super-angsty where Sanji was concerned, but it just kind of happened while I was writing so I decided to roll with it and see how it would end up. I can relate to that part of his character a lot, though, so that's probably why it came about…

**2. **I have a lot of plot ideas for this fic, but I know that it's still technically a threesome fic and of course there's going to be smut, so that'll happen…next chapter, for those of you who are looking forward to that ;)

**3. **I'm very glad people are enjoying this sequel so far, and I hope you all continue to do so :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 4/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 4045  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Recent chapters, but especially chapter 769.

**Chapter Four**

"So…Mr. Zoro, you were unsure as to why anybody would willingly let themselves be submissive in a sexual situation, yes?" Law asked, still draped over Sanji's back, and Zoro narrowed his eye as if pondering the question. Eventually he nodded, and Sanji felt Law move off of him.

"I'm not letting you tie me up," Zoro said immediately, a hint of a warning growl in his voice, and Law chuckled.

"Not you. Him," he nodded toward Sanji, and the cook let out a slow breath, mulling the idea over in his head. Truth be told, there was a rather large part of him that _wanted _to submit, because the day had been taxing on him emotionally and giving over control to somebody so all he'd need to focus on was pleasure was appealing.

He knew Law was the opposite, at least this time: he'd been stripped of all control on Dressrosa, and he needed to get it back. Sanji could tell this was important to him, and he knew that one word from him and Law would stop whatever he was doing, so he felt safe agreeing.

"Yeah. Okay," he nodded, sitting up and stretching his arms over his head.

"Only if you feel up to it," Law was staring at him seriously, and eventually must have gotten the answer he wanted because he nodded. "Now, then. Mr. Zoro, I'm going to require your assistance for this because it's going to be impossible for me to do it by myself. I'll be back in a moment," he headed out of the room.

"Hey. You really want to do this?" Zoro still didn't look like he thought this was a good idea, and Sanji shrugged.

"Aww, are you _worried _about me, Marimo?" he asked, trying to sound as scathing as possible because if there was one way to get Zoro to agree to something, it was by implying he was afraid of it somehow. "That's cute."

"I'm not worried!" Zoro snapped. "I just don't get why anybody would want to…I mean, the last time you were tied up you nearly _died, _or don't you remember those bounty hunters?" Zoro hissed, and Sanji wasn't about to correct him that that hadn't been the _last _time he'd been tied up (although, well, on Dressrosa he would have died too if his gut feeling about Violet-chan telling the truth hadn't been right), but he supposed Zoro would consider that only more incentive for Sanji not to agree to this.

"It's different," Sanji shifted so he was sitting cross-legged, leaning his elbows on his knees. "Not that I've ever really done it before, but when it's with people you trust in a situation you're in control of, it's not nearly the same thing."

"But you've never done it," Zoro pressed, and Sanji bit his lip and shook his head. Technically, that was the truth, although he'd definitely been submissive to Law before without any sort of actual bondage involved.

"I did it to him," he reminded the swordsman. "And honestly, this is fucking _Law _we're talking about. Do you really think he'd have agreed or gone through with it if he hadn't liked it?"

"Yeah, okay, you've got a point," Zoro muttered, waving his hand.

"Right," Law wandered back into the room, a long coil of rope held over his arm, and Sanji gulped although he couldn't tell if he was apprehensive or sort of looking forward to it. "You're still dressed," he looked rather unimpressed and Sanji rolled his eyes, but he quickly got out of his clothes and settled himself on the bed. "On your knees, arms behind your back, grab onto your elbows with the opposite hand," Law recited brusquely, which was a weird instruction because Sanji had just assumed Law would tie his wrists or something, but he figured it out quickly enough. It could probably get really uncomfortable for somebody who wasn't flexible, but he didn't think it would be a problem for him.

"Okay?"

"Mm. Mr. Zoro, if you please," Law held out the rope and Zoro took it carefully, eye darting between Sanji and Law like he had no idea how to process anything that was happening.

"Look, I don't like you talking to him like that…"

"He's quite capable of telling me if I'm making him uncomfortable," Law replied flippantly, and Sanji felt a small thrill of affection that Zoro was so quick to jump to his defense. He didn't need it, of course, because he knew Law was generally all business to begin with, but it was still a nice gesture.

"It's fine, Marimo," Sanji promised, knowing Zoro needed to hear him say it himself, and finally the swordsman nodded.

"Okay. What do I need to do?"

Sanji didn't pay much attention to what they were doing, letting himself drift and closing his eyes. Law's voice was back to being a soothing balm to his ears, steady and calming. He was a little confused when he felt the ropes crossing over his chest, but he figured Law probably knew what he was doing (_how _he knew was a different story, and why he had soft rope on hand was as well). Sanji didn't want to think about that too much, though. He knew Law was no virgin, of course, but it surprised him at how jealous he felt at the mere thought of Law being sexual with anybody else, even though he really had no right to feel that way.

"Okay," he heard Zoro grunt a few seconds later, and Law chuckled softly.

"You're quite good at that, Mr. Zoro," he murmured, Zoro scoffing in response, and he felt Law's hand on his hip. "Still with us?"

"Yeah," Sanji opened his eyes, glancing down and trying to see what they'd done. There was a sort of rope harness across his chest, one thick strand of rope passing just under his armpits and the other below his nipples. They were connected by a twisted piece of rope that split into two and went over his shoulders, and from what he could tell, his arms were also tied in several places to keep him from moving them. He could move his fingers, a little, and kind of swing his arms from side-to-side a little as far as the ropes allowed him, but otherwise his upper body was fairly immobile.

The ropes weren't tight, and he knew they wouldn't leave marks, but he was still rather effectively trapped. At least, his arms were, but since most of his strength was in his legs it really didn't hinder him that much, and he was sure Law did that on purpose so he'd feel more comfortable. It wasn't necessary, since he trusted both of them, but he still appreciated it.

"Um," Zoro started, and Sanji craned his neck back to look at him, seeing that his cheeks were a little flushed.

"Yes?"

"You…look really good. Fuck. Sorry," he covered his eyes with one hand and Sanji snickered to himself because Zoro was still so damn _awkward _when it came to sex. It was adorable.

"Hence why I wanted to tie him up," Law murmured, gripping Sanji's chin and leaning in to kiss him.

_Finally. _

Sanji kissed back eagerly, tongues brushing against each other, and he felt himself starting to get aroused at the attention.

"What's the…" he broke away enough to ask, gasping when Law immediately latched onto his neck and started sucking. "I get the arms, but what's the chest part for…"

"This," Law gripped the vertical rope that was connecting the parts of the harness, yanking Sanji off-balance and using it to swing his body around and lay him out flat on his back on the mattress.

"…oh," Sanji blinked up at him, narrowing his eyes and hooking his ankle behind Law's knee so he could pull him down as well. "Two can play at that game."

"I'm going to tie your legs if you keep misbehaving," Law's voice was pure sex now, low and silky, and Sanji arched his body up for another kiss. Looks like he was right about why Law left his legs free, he thought smugly. "So," the surgeon pulled away after much too short a time and Sanji whined, although Law hardly looked at him. "What do you want?"

"Um," Sanji blinked, knowing that Law was honestly asking him. "I want to be so exhausted afterward I fall asleep without worrying about anything," he admitted, and Law bent over, bracing his knees to keep his balance while he let his fingers scrub through Sanji's hair. "I just…"

"No, don't apologize. I've got an idea," Law struggled to get upright, unable to keep his balance with only one arm, and Zoro grabbed him around the waist and hauled him up, letting the older man lean against his body. "I've never had the pleasure of trying it for myself, but I've…heard that being fucked after achieving orgasm can be extremely pleasurable, and would no doubt be more tiring than just going once," he explained, and Sanji shivered at the words.

He was always pretty spent after he came, and the thought of his body being open and pliant and being purely focused on physical sensations, over-stimulated in the best way without the need to hurry toward some sort of ending, was incredibly appealing at the moment.

"Yeah. Okay," he nodded. "How…"

"You're going to ride me," Law said without preamble. "I don't trust my balance enough to do this any other way right now, and that way you'll be doing most of the work," he grinned in a rather predatory fashion. "And then, once we've finished, I'll let Mr. Zoro take over," he patted Zoro's leg and the swordsman hooked his chin over Law's shoulder, a smile slowly spreading over his face. "Is that acceptable?"

"Yes. Fuck," Sanji wriggled a little on the bed, anxious to get started now.

"Mr. Zoro, would you like to do the honors?" Law reached to grab a bottle of oil from beside the bed, holding it out to Zoro. "I trust you remember what to do."

"Yeah," Zoro uncapped the bottle, pouring some of the slick oil onto his fingers, but he still looked a little apprehensive.

"Zoro, c'mere," Sanji hooked his ankles around Zoro's hips, pulling him in and raising his body at the same time. "Do it."

"Um…" Zoro's hand trailed down the back of his thigh, over his ass, and Sanji let his body go limp as the first finger slid inside of him. "Is that…"

"Fuck, I'm not made of fucking _glass," _Sanji muttered. "And kiss me already," he added, Zoro rolling his eyes.

"Thought you were supposed to be submissive," he muttered, glancing down and adjusting his hand a little. He curled his finger, brushing Sanji's prostate, and the blond gasped and thrashed a little.

"Fuck, _hurry," _he growled, both because he could feel his arms starting to tingle a little and because he _really _needed to be fucked right _now_, and Zoro huffed and leaned cover his mouth, sliding another finger in at the same time.

Sanji ground himself back against Zoro's fingers, gasping into his mouth and no longer caring how shameless he was being. His cock brushed against the rough fabric of Zoro's haramaki, the friction making him whimper.

"Okay, okay, I'm hurrying," Zoro grumbled, three fingers in now, and Sanji sighed and kept kissing him, hips jerking every time Zoro's fingers brushed that spot deep inside of him. "Fuck."

"What?" Sanji asked, shaking his head to get his bangs out of his eyes.

"Nothing," Zoro shook his head, but it was obviously _something, _so Sanji nudged his nose against the other man's and glared at him. "You're really fucking hot, okay? And I'm…" he sighed, and Sanji blinked, a little surprised.

He'd _never _heard Zoro berate his own appearance before, and it was strangely humanizing since Zoro, for the most part, was even more reluctant to open up than either himself or Law.

"Yeah, well, even if you were ugly as sin…which you're not, by the way…I love you. Besides, one of us has to be the good-looking one without any missing body parts," he raised his voice, hearing a rather offended 'hey!' from the corner of the room, and Zoro thankfully _did _laugh at that one.

"Point taken," he kissed Sanji again, briefly. "D'you need more, or…"

"No, I'm good," Sanji winced when Zoro's fingers slid out of him, trailing wetness down the back of his thighs. He tried to sit up, but that proved impossible until Zoro grabbed him by the front of the harness and pulled him up.

"I told you it was useful," Law sauntered over, fully naked and seemingly more secure in his own skin now that he was sure Sanji and Zoro really weren't viewing him any differently. He still moved a little awkwardly, over-compensating for how much less the right half of his body weighed, but Sanji knew once Franky had the arm completely functioning and the loss wasn't so visible he'd be back to his old self. He settled himself back against the pillows, spreading his legs, and reached for the oil to slick his own cock. "Come," he beckoned Sanji closer, pulling him over his lap, hand cupping Sanji's hip and holding him steady.

"Should I just…" Sanji set his legs on either side of Law's hips, finding his balance. At Law's nod, he lowered his body down, feeling Law's hand move off of his skin in order to hold his own cock steady to make it easier for Sanji.

It really hadn't been that long since they'd done this last, but so much had happened in between that in some ways it felt like a lifetime. He took a breath and lowered himself slowly, feeling Law's cock nudge his entrance. He breathed out slowly as the head slid inside, and Law moved his hand back to Sanji's hip and stroked his thumb along the skin there gently. He let the soft touches ground him, sinking down until he was fully seated. He'd never done it this way before, at least not from this side of it, and he could feel every inch of Law's cock inside of him.

"Okay?" Law's voice was shaky, his eyes dark with desire as he looked up at Sanji, and the blond nodded.

"Yeah. It's just…"

"A lot?" Law arched an eyebrow. "I seem to recall you rushing things when our positions were reversed," he half-smiled and Sanji bit his lip, feeling a little guilty because he couldn't have imagined doing this any faster and he definitely hadn't been _gentle _with Law before.

"Fuck," he groaned, not even able to say a proper apology, but Law shook his head.

"Don't. What you said made up for it," Law was giving him _that look_ again, the one that was so full of warmth that it made Sanji want to run away. He knew what Law meant, of course, since it was the first time he'd admitted to sort of being in love with him, but that didn't make the feeling go away.

"Cook," Zoro grunted, and Sanji turned a little to look at him, blinking. "Stop it. He's one of the most feared people in the entire _world_ and he's fucking _in love_ with you, there's nothing to feel bad about," he said it so bluntly, and Sanji realized in that moment that Zoro really _was _okay with Law's feelings, and that more than anything else made him relax.

"I doubt anybody could fear me in my current state," Law smiled wryly. "But the second part of that statement is certainly accurate."

"You're such a fucking sap," Sanji grinned, the ache in his chest releasing a little. He never would have expected it from Law, but knowing what he did about him now and what his real personality was like, maybe it was a bit more understandable. Part of him wondered what Law would have become had he been able to live peacefully with his family instead of being forced into piracy just to stay alive. He probably never would have met him, but Law had been through so much that Sanji thought he would be okay with since it would have saved the man so much pain.

"Yes, well, don't go advertising that," Law muttered. "But shall we continue?"

Sanji nodded, lifting himself up a little on his knees before dropping his weight again, and he felt Law shift in response, bucking his hips up to meet Sanji's movement. He started to move faster, thankful that his leg muscles were so strong because he could probably keep this up for a while. Law's hand slid around to his back, holding him steady.

He started to rotate his hips, grinding more than bouncing, and Law slid down on the bed a little to better the angle, raising his own hips and even with one hand managing to hold Sanji in place. He grinned then, golden eyes flashing, pure sex and raw desire in every inch of his body.

"_Fuck," _Sanji hissed, rolling his hips as fast as he could, his own cock leaking and slapping against his stomach with every thrust.

Law bit his lip, looking like he was concentrating deeply on what was going on, and Sanji could tell when he was close by now: he was convinced Law would never be _loud, _exactly, but his breathing changed and his body started to tense up as he tried to hold off his orgasm for as long as possible.

"Come on, wanna feel you inside me," Sanji gasped, hearing Law whine low in his throat before he gave a full body-shudder and came, hips pushing up almost violently. Sanji closed his eyes and threw his head back, clenching around Law's cock and working him through it, a startled moan breaking from his throat when he felt Law's mouth close around his own aching cock.

"Oh, fuck," Sanji looked down, fingers clenched in the skin of his arms for lack of being able to reach anything else. Law had pulled his knees up a little so Sanji was nearly seated on his stomach with his cock still deep inside of him and arched his neck forward so he could reach Sanji's erection. It wasn't the best angle, but Sanji knew he wouldn't need much. He kept moving his hips, letting his cock slide in and out of Law's mouth, and felt himself getting close remarkably quickly.

"Law…fuck, can I…"

Law mumbled something, not moving back, and Sanji took that as permission and came with a shout, toes curling into the sheets. Law swallowed down everything he had, sliding his mouth off and pressing a last sucking kiss to the head of his cock before pulling away and leaning back on the pillows. Sanji thought there were few sights more beautiful than Law in this state: sex-flushed, hair tousled, body slick with sweat and something fully content about his entire aura.

"Mm, get on your back," Law said, voice a little hoarse. "From the looks of him, Mr. Zoro's not going to last much longer."

Sanji blinked at him, moving a little sluggishly as he slid off of Law's cock and flopped back on the bed, and then Zoro was _right there, _already undressed, kissing him fiercely and entering his body in one long stroke.

"Oh, _fuck," _Sanji writhed around, body open and slick with both lube and Law's cum and it felt like every inch of him was on fire, nerves over-sensitized almost to where it was painful but it still felt _good. _He wrapped his legs around Zoro, body nearly bent in half, and just told himself to hold on.

"Okay?" Zoro looked a little frantic, eye wide and breath coming far too quickly.

"_Yes," _he nearly sobbed when Zoro thrust into him, and then it was all he could do to hang on. Zoro was snapping his hips at a frantic pace, one arm braced beside Sanji's head and his other hand fisted in the connecting rope of the harness, keeping Sanji's body off of the bed. Zoro's face was pressed into the curve of his neck, body curled around and over Sanji's and it was almost too _hot_, too _much, _but it was so damn _good_ Sanji wasn't thinking about anything else but the sensations zinging through his body.

His cock was feebly trying to come to life again, twitching a little as Zoro's cock nudged against his prostate. "Fuck, _Zoro," _he groaned, fingers scrabbling at the blankets underneath him but unable to get a good grip from the way his arms were tied.

"Sanji…" Zoro said his name almost reverently, barely a sigh. "I need to…"

"Yeah. Do it," Sanji didn't have any energy to even push back against him, but Zoro didn't seem to need any help because a few more strong thrusts had him coming, pressed deep into Sanji's ass, and the cook thrashed and tossed his head, his eyes springing open a second later as he let out a surprised yelp. His cock spasmed, a feeling rushing through his body almost like a miniature orgasm. "What the…_fuck!" _he gasped and arched his back off the bed, not expecting that at _all, _and he heard Law snickering when he came back to himself. He looked down, surprised to see that there was no cum on his stomach, and his brain couldn't seem to process that. "What…"

"It's called a dry orgasm, and it's perfectly normal," Law assured him. Sanji hummed, his brain slow to process the words. "It's just the result of reaching a subsequent climax too quickly for the body to replenish the seminal fluid."

"Too many big words," he groaned, and Zoro chuckled and kissed him, pulling out in the same motion. It felt kind of disgusting now, too wet and slick, but he almost couldn't be bothered to care because the lethargy stealing over him was so welcome.

"Here, let's get him out of those ropes," Law moved closer, and Sanji half-dozed while they worked, even as they rolled him over and untied his arms. He winced, straightening the limbs out, but he couldn't do much more than let them flop out to the sides even as Zoro helped him onto his back again. "Okay?"

"Mmhrrrghnmmf," he replied, narrowing his eyes, and Law lay down beside him, arm thrown over his chest. "I really do love you. Both of you," Sanji amended once he felt capable of producing real words. He yawned a second later, knowing that his exhaustion was making him overly honest but unable to care. It wasn't even something he wanted to separate in his mind any longer, or something he wanted to think too hard about, because he _did _love them both. Maybe in different ways, but that didn't diminish his feelings for either of them.

"I'll get a cloth," Zoro's voice seemed to be coming from far away, but Sanji felt the bed move as he got off of it.

"How are your arms?" Law asked. Sanji wrinkled his nose, bringing one up to wrap around Law's shoulders. It didn't really hurt, and right now he wasn't sure if his slow reaction time was due to his arms being tied for so long or just because he was so damn tired.

"Ask me in the morning," he mumbled. His mind was blissfully blank at the moment and he wanted it to stay that way, and when Zoro came back he barely had the energy to shift so that the swordsman could clean him properly (which, Sanji noted, he did without complaining or even throwing some sort of verbal jab in the cook's direction, and he'd have to remember that).

He wasn't sure in the end how they all actually got _under _the covers, but the next time he roused himself into a sort of half-aware state that's where they were, Law still curled against his chest and Zoro spooning him from behind.

"Hey. Go to sleep," Zoro pressed a kiss to the nape of his neck.

Sanji closed his eyes, unable to even keep them open for another second, and knew that tonight he'd have no trouble doing just that.

**Notes:**

**1. **Yes, I realize that was a fast update, but my smut muse is fickle at the best of times so I figured I should get it written while I was still inspired and, well, I'm sure you all are okay with a little sex and fluff…right?


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 4/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 4014  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Up to chapter 773.

**Chapter Five**

He couldn't tell what time it was when he woke up. All he knew was that he felt remarkably slept out for the first time in a long time. It was dark in the depths of the submarine, so there was no window to tell if it was morning yet, but his internal clock was fairly accurate and he was going to assume it was still sometime before breakfast.

His body was stiff, which was to be expected, but mostly he just felt sort of gross and in desperate need of a shower. He doubted Law would mind if he used his, since it was preferable to walking all the way back to the Sunny, and he pushed himself upright and somehow managed to crawl out of bed without waking up either Zoro or Law.

Or, he thought he had, but when a hand reached to grab his wrist he had to keep from yelping in surprise.

"Get back here." Law, he'd come to learn, was _not _a morning person, and the glare he was leveling at Sanji at the moment would have probably made a lesser man leap to do his bidding immediately.

Sanji was used to it, though, so it hardly fazed him any longer. "I need to shower."

"Hurry," Law still looked grumpy, but half-asleep and tousled it was hard to find him intimidating at all. Sanji sank down beside the bed so he could kiss the surgeon, pulling back reluctantly and getting to his feet again.

Law was quietly snoring by the time he reached the bathroom, his body protesting remarkably little for the strain he'd put on it the night before. There was a pleasant lethargy he could feel all the way to his bones, a kind of deep-seeded contentment that he hoped would linger at least for a while.

He shut the door behind him and reached for the knob to turn on the shower, pleased that the water was almost immediately hot. Steam rose from the floor tiles, curling in wisps up around his ankles as he stepped under the spray.

It was probably best not to linger too long, since there was no way of knowing how good the plumbing on Law's sub was and he didn't want to use all the hot water for himself. He quickly rinsed himself clean, figuring he could always do a more thorough job back on the Sunny where he was sure the water would stay hot for as long as he needed it to.

He toweled off, drying his hair enough the tips weren't dripping onto his shoulders, and finally looked at himself in the mirror when he passed the sink. He looked…tired, mostly, but whatever ropes Law had used must have been made for that sort of thing because there was no evidence he'd been tied up at all, which was rather remarkable considering how easily his pale skin bruised.

The air from the main bedroom felt cool on his heated flesh as he pushed the door open again, letting the steam from the bathroom escape.

Zoro and Law were both awake now, not really talking to each other and looking a little awkward with Sanji not in the room, and the blond leaned against the doorframe and chewed on his lower lip, thinking. He knew they liked each other, or at least there was physical attraction from both sides. They definitely trusted each other by now, and last time they'd seemed fine enough touching and making out, but now that Sanji thought about it the night before they hadn't even really interacted other than because Law couldn't manage the ropes by himself.

It made him feel guilty again, because fuck knew he didn't even deserve _one _guy doting on him, much less two. Yes, they'd both given him the reasoning that they both had their goals and so could never fully focus on a relationship, but Law really…didn't anymore. Zoro still did, but Sanji was more than a little convinced that it would still be a long time before he was ready to take on Mihawk again, and it wasn't as if Sanji was so demanding that he would ask for more than Zoro was ever willing to give him.

So really, he was the only one benefitting at the current moment, and that wasn't sitting well with him at all.

"Hey," he cleared his throat and they both turned to look at him. "You don't have to…I mean…fuck, if you guys want to…y'know…feel free," he sighed and covered his eyes, because that might have been the most awkward statement he'd ever made. Of course, there probably wasn't a good way to say what he was trying to, but he probably could have done better than _that. _

"Yes, I completely understand what you're trying to say," Law deadpanned, smirking, and Sanji rolled his eyes.

"Don't get smart with me. Just…" he huffed, annoyed, and walked over to sit on the bed. "It shouldn't be about me. I don't feel…comfortable being some sort of neutral center so the two of you don't have to actually be involved. I know you like each other," he pressed, deciding he really needed a fucking cigarette and going to grab them from his discarded jeans. "So start acting like it, and don't hold back because you think I've got such a jealous streak that I'd have a problem with it."

Law was still giving him a rather annoying grin, but Zoro looked between them and shrugged.

"Okay," he replied, looking completely unconcerned, before turning to Law and yanking him into a kiss. Law squawked, flailing his hand, and fell half into Zoro. The swordsman wrapped a broad arm around his shoulders, never breaking the kiss, and Law's body eventually relaxed as he cupped his hand to Zoro's cheek and kissed back.

Sanji watched them, lit cigarette held between two fingers, and was surprised to find that the expected burst of jealousy he thought he'd feel wasn't there (yeah, he might have said he wouldn't have been, but who was he kidding, really). He knew how both Zoro and Law felt toward him, and he was rather amazingly convinced that wasn't going to change.

And, well, he was only human, and there was something more than a little appealing about seeing two people he was incredibly attracted to going at it like that.

"Happy?" Zoro broke away to ask, raising an eyebrow.

"You're an asshole," Sanji replied, because Zoro pretending he'd only done it to prove a point was expected but hardly necessary. "Just admit you like each other."

Law looked over at Zoro, who met his eyes, and they stared at each other for a few seconds before both nodding. Great, Sanji thought with a sigh, apparently they were enough alike that they didn't even need to _talk_ to come to an agreement.

"Sanji," Law beckoned him over with a crooked finger, and he went willingly, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at them. "You're a romantic by your very nature. The two of us aren't, really, so is it any wonder that our interactions might be a bit different from how we act with you?"

It made sense, Sanji guessed, but that only made him feel _worse _because Law seemed to be implying he and Zoro were acting out of their own characters for his sake. He knew neither of them were big on emotional displays normally, but he'd never been under the impression they'd been doing it just for _him _and that made him feel shitty.

"If you don't like acting that way, don't do it for me," he said, his voice terse yet perfectly controlled, and Law narrowed his eyes. "Seriously, if it's…"

"You're being exceptionally thick-headed this morning," Law cut him off. "Do you honestly think either of us would do something if we truly didn't want to? Think of it this way," he frowned, tapping his long fingers against his chin. "You would give up your life for anybody on your crew, yes?"

"Yeah, of course," Sanji had no idea where this was going, but he decided to play along for now.

"So in a way, you care about them on the same level. Despite that, though, you treat Miss Nico and Miss Nami in ways you would never treat the men, but that doesn't mean as people they mean less to you," he explained, and Sanji kind of got where he was coming from with that.

"You're saying that just because you and Zoro don't act the way either of you act toward me, that doesn't mean you don't like each other," he decided, and Law kind of gave him a half-nod that didn't really tell him much. "I get that, but if you're saying how you act with _me _isn't how you normally…"

"Stop," Zoro said, and Sanji did, although he leveled a glare at the other man for good measure. "Look, yeah, Law and I aren't guys that are gonna go around being all touchy with a lot of people, but that doesn't mean it's bad if it's the right person. And like he said, we're not gonna do something we don't want, so stop trying to make yourself feel bad when you don't have to."

And Sanji realized that, yeah, he was probably doing that. He did understand, but it wasn't like _he _was particularly touchy with other guys either, so he didn't think it was the best comparison. Still, he knew that Zoro and Law weren't nearly as averse to cuddling as they might pretend to be (sometimes he thought they liked it more than he did, since they were usually the ones to instigate it), and he had to trust that they weren't lying about what they were comfortable with.

"Okay," he sighed, standing up and going to butt out his cigarette. "So. I should go make breakfast."

"Seriously? We go through that and you're just gonna take off?" Zoro crossed his arms and glowered at him.

"I already skipped out on dinner last night and you know Luffy will whine at me all day if I don't at least make breakfast," he reached for his pants, but before he could close his hand around them he felt his body…the only word he could think of was _shimmer…_like he was being taken apart and reassembled at the speed of light, and when he blinked again he was seated on the bed with his arm still extended.

Fucking Law and his fucking Shambles, he thought irritably, because that was obviously what had happened and a look back to where he had been standing did indeed show a pillow from the bed lying on the floor.

"Was that necessary?"

"It was the easiest way to get you back here, yes," Law slid his arm around Sanji's waist and yanked the blond to lay against him. "Tell me that you honestly don't believe I enjoy this with you."

"I know you do," Sanji mumbled, grunting when Zoro basically flopped over his back. "Fucking cuddlers, both of you."

"Yeah, don't tell anybody," Zoro kissed the nape of his neck and Sanji told himself to relax, because obviously he wasn't going anywhere for a while.

Zoro reached over Sanji's side, resting his hand on Law's hip, and the older man looked surprised for a second.

"Hey," Zoro grunted, Law glancing at him and eventually nodding, and Sanji wondered how often they were going to have these seemingly silent conversations.

"I hate you both," Sanji decided, closing his eyes and burying his nose against Law's neck.

He still had to go make breakfast, but maybe he had a little time to spare first.

000

She was a princess.

She had to be: all lithe limbs, pale as a fresh winter's snow; long, flowing blonde hair that shimmered in the sunlight; grace in every movement of her slender body. Yes, she was wearing men's trousers, but the beach wasn't any place for formal dress, after all, and she seemed to have her hands full taking care of a rather energetic white horse that was prancing around her, whinnying happily.

"Farul, calm yourself!"

Okay, the voice was a little deeper than expected, but that hardly diminished the perfection laid out in front of him.

Perhaps she needed his assistance, he thought idly, and started to make his way across the sand.

As he neared the girl and her horse, the creature spotted him and neighed, stepping away from her and trotting over to him.

Sanji wasn't sure what to make of the horse, who seemed friendly enough but had a rather large swath of bandages wrapped around its head. He held out a hand hesitantly, feeling warm breath and a velvety nose nuzzle it before the horse apparently decided he was a friend and nudged him right in the chest.

"Farul!"

Sanji looked up, breath catching as the girl ran over, but the closer she got Sanji realized that his eyes had deceived him and, while he supposed the word 'beautiful' might still apply, it was definitely a man that was standing in front of him. Same flowing golden hair, same lily-white skin, and his eyes were a shade of blue that rivaled even the cloudless sky.

"I apologize, he's rather frisky since he's been cooped up for a while," the man also had a rather impressive sword set on his hip, and he settled an elbow on top of it, standing in a pose that was both relaxed and yet told Sanji he could hold his own in a fight if it came to it. "Cavendish of the White Horse, the Pirate Prince, at your service," he inclined his head and held out a hand, and Sanji shook it cautiously.

"I'm…"

"You're one of Strawhat's crew, yes?" the man pressed. "Don't worry, I'm most certainly allied with you at this point. I must say, Black-leg Sanji, your bounty poster does you no favors," he took his arm off of his sword, opting to raise his hand to stroke the side of Farul's neck.

"It's the back of my head," Sanji muttered, and now he just felt more envy than anything. He'd tried so hard to be a prince, to be some sort of white knight, and here was the real thing standing in front of him doing it better than he ever could have hoped.

Still, it wouldn't do to act cold to one of Luffy's allies, and Cavendish seemed amiable enough otherwise. "So, how d'you know Luffy?"

"Come," Cavendish swept out his arm rather dramatically (Sanji had a feeling he was unable to do anything without it being needlessly showy) and gestured toward a well-worn log a few feet down the beach. "It's quite the tale, but if you've got time to listen, I'm happy to tell it. Farul could use more time to exercise anyway."

Sanji went, hands stuffed in his pockets, and listened to the other man talk: about Luffy and the Colosseum, about being saved by Usopp from, as he put it, 'a horrific life of meaningless drudgery as a forgotten toy,' about helping Robin escape an explosion (and, well, he was definitely jealous at that one, since the whole prince-on-a-white-horse-saving-Robin thing had played out in his fantasies several times and here was some stranger who was _everything _he'd aspired to be).

By the time he'd finished, Sanji had realized two things: how much he'd missed by being away from Dressrosa, and how quickly Luffy was gaining allies in the New World, although he supposed the second thing could only be a positive.

"So, I do owe your crew a lot," Cavendish continued, stretching his legs in front of him, "and Strawhat seems to have some mark of destiny upon him. Aligning myself with you will only prove beneficial to myself as well, even if it also means I'm aligned with _other people…_Trafalgar, for instance…" he said Law's name with a good deal of derision, but Sanji really hadn't been expecting him to talk about Law at all and he couldn't stop himself from looking up in surprise. "Well, I suppose he's not all bad. Without him, Farul would surely have perished."

"He saved your horse?" Sanji asked, because in his experience Law was generally much more concerned with saving people than animals, but it wasn't entirely surprising.

"Mm. We ran into a few nasty henchmen of Doflamingo's and my darling Farul got his skull cracked," he sighed heavily. "I hadn't expected it from him, considering his reputation, but he's…rather contrary to what I was led to believe."

"Yeah," Sanji lit up a cigarette, needing to do something with his hands. "He most certainly is," he said it far more fondness than he'd intended, and far more than a casual acquaintance would.

He realized he'd been had a moment later when Cavendish smirked at him, a shadow stealing over his face although there was nothing to throw shade, but it was gone the next second although the knowing smile remained. "I didn't realize it was you."

"What?" Sanji asked, genuinely confused.

"On the journey here…his life was hanging in the balance for a good deal of it," Cavendish looked serious now. "He was…a lesser man would have most certainly succumbed to his injuries, but Roronoa spent a lot of time with him, doing what he could to ease his suffering, and more than once he said that Trafalgar had to hang on because 'he' was waiting and would want him to fight. I had no idea whom he was referring to, naturally, but seeing your reaction just now…"

Sanji tried to keep his expression neutral but failed rather miserably, tensing up and stammering out something that certainly didn't resemble actual _words. _

"I'm hardly going to judge you," Cavendish assured him. "Not that I'm in a position to, but I would…caution you against one thing."

Sanji bristled a little, not really needing to hear from some random pirate prince how to deal with his own love life, but…allies. Right. Best not to piss him off.

"Yeah?"

"Trafalgar Law is…not a typical pirate. Pirates take to the seas for power, for wealth, for fame…your captain, for instance, is after the One Piece, yes?"

Sanji nodded, since that was pretty well-known information already.

"And myself, well, I'm in it for the fame. I want people to cheer for me, to worship me, to aspire to be like me…" he stared up at the sky, and suddenly there were fucking _sparkles _around him and he'd pulled out a rose from somewhere, his voice rising in pitch dramatically, "_Oh, Cavendish-sama, you're the most handsome and perfect man in the entire world!" _

Sanji blinked at him incredulously, because that sort of vanity wasn't something he'd come across all that often, but thankfully a second later the sparkles vanished (although the rose didn't) and he went back to looking focused on the conversation topic.

"Regardless, Trafalgar's entire ambition was simply for revenge, as I've come to understand it. Now that he's achieved that, there's no longer anything calling him out to the sea, and you…you'll sail with your captain until the end," he stated, waiting for Sanji's nod of affirmation. "So it seems to me your paths are very different, and I have a bit of a feeling that if Trafalgar finds some reason to stay in one place, there will be nothing to stop him from taking it."

Sanji wanted to protest, saying that Law had his crew, that of course there was something else out there for him…before he realized that there _wasn't_, and Cavendish had just brought to light something he'd been stewing over in his mind since they'd all reunited. He tried not to think about it much, since it only served to speed up their inevitable separation, but it was impossible to ignore.

The cook didn't know what to say, but before he could form a response there was a shout from farther down the beach.

"Oi, Cabbage, get your shitty ass in gear and take me to fucking lunch already!"

And Sanji nearly burst out laughing, because _Cabbage _certainly did a lot to dispel the haughty air Cavendish seemed to perpetually exude. The man himself lumbered into a view, and he was an…odd-looking creature to be sure, from his ungainly bow-legged walk to his shock of green hair that resembled a rooster's comb to the fang-like eye-teeth protruding from his mouth.

"I never gave you a time," Cavendish bristled, flipping his hair back over his shoulder and sniffing. "And come closer, there's somebody I'm sure you'll want to meet," he glanced at Sanji, blue eyes filled with undeniable mischief, and Sanji was about to question that before he was literally swept off the ground and held aloft by a pair of strong arms, and then immediately plopped down again.

"Forgive me! I should have asked before daring to touch you!" the man looked close to tears. "I never could have imagined meeting Black-leg Sanji here on this beach! The greatest cook in the New World! The man whose brilliant strategic mind ensured victory for the Strawhats too many times to count! Can I get your autograph?!" he was full-on sobbing now, shoving a pen and pad at Sanji, who blinked incredulously because _what the hell?!_

"He hero-worships your entire crew," Cavendish told him in a stage-whisper. "Just indulge him and he'll go away."

"And this is what you want out of life, huh?" Sanji replied, because the whole celebrity thing he could see getting old really fast.

"Fufufufufu," Cavendish chuckled, and then he started _eating _the damn rose and Sanji officially decided to give up on his sanity for the remainder of the day. "He's also one of your allies now, and he's surprisingly useful in a pinch."

"Eh?" the man snapped out of his Sanji-induced haze and stomped over to Cavendish. "What was that, shitty Cabbage?"

"I gave you a _compliment, _Bartolomeo," Cavendish replied, looking bored. "And I'd suggest you be nice to me if you want lunch."

Bartolomeo snorted but didn't say anything else, crossing his arms and frowning.

"Um," Sanji cleared his throat, prompting them both to turn toward him and Bartolomeo to start wiggling around excitedly. "If you guys want, you can come to the ship for dinner tonight. I don't mind, and if you're allies it'd be good for the rest of the crew to meet you," he decided. He'd managed to get up in time that morning to make Luffy a late breakfast, but no doubt he'd expect more for dinner.

"The rest of the Strawhats!" Bartolomeo yelped excitedly. "And Sanji-senpai's cooking! It's been my _dream _to…"

"Yes, yes, we know," Cavendish looked at Sanji and rolled his eyes. "Come on, then, let's eat now so we're hungry later," he whistled and Farul came trotting over, falling into step beside him. "It was nice meeting you, Sanji."

"Likewise," Sanji replied, because they might have been odd, but then…well, with his crew, he wasn't one to talk, and they seemed like good people otherwise.

"And, you know, sometimes the best things can be found in the most unexpected places. Despite the outcome, it's never bad to take a chance," Cavendish started walking away after delivering those words, Bartolomeo following and sliding an arm around his waist in a move that spoke of some much deeper intimacy than their previous interactions would suggest, and Sanji's eyes widened as he understood.

So _that's_ what Cavendish had meant when he said he wasn't in a position to judge, and while part of him was surprised because those two argued almost more than he and Zoro (and had the exact same hair colors as the two of them, which was a really weird coincidence on top of everything else), he knew Cavendish's parting statement was referring to Law and himself as much as to whatever the other pirate apparently had going on with Bartolomeo.

Well, if nothing else, one thing was certain: today had given Sanji a _lot _to think about.

**Notes:**

**1. **So I've had a lot of people asking me about how much Law/Zoro is going to be in this fic and what the nature of it is going to be. Obviously, since I've chosen to write this strictly from Sanji's POV, everything's going to be seen through his eyes, but I hope this chapter has kind of explained my intent with regard to the different relationships within the three of them. Zoro and Law have a relationship that's built on mutual attraction and slowly growing trust toward each other, and while that may differ from how either of their relationships with Sanji came about, that doesn't mean it's not as valid or viable. I don't believe there's set 'rules' to be followed when deciding what actually constitutes a 'relationship', and I'm trying to also explore that idea within this fic because all three of them are different characters who wouldn't interact the same with every single person, so I hope that's at least starting to come through as the fic progresses.

**2. **Yeah, there was a Cavendish cameo, because I adore him and I wanted somebody to play the role of an impartial observer. I don't think it's unreasonable to assume both he and Barto will become Luffy's allies after this arc, especially after the last chapter (and yes, if I didn't ship them before, the last couple of chapters certainly convinced me. They're very similar to Sanji and Zoro in a lot of ways, which is probably why it's easy for me to ship them at all ;) )

**3. **Thank you all as always for the lovely comments, and I hope you're still enjoying this sequel! I do know where this fic is going (and, I may as well say it now, I plan on this being a three-part series eventually so there will be one more fic after this one…) so hopefully I can keep updating regularly as long as real life doesn't suddenly swamp me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 6/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 4120  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Up to chapter 773.

**Chapter Six**

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Zoro asked, sitting at the counter and idly peeling potatoes. Sanji had put him to work since he'd insisted on just skulking about the galley once the cook had returned from his walk on the beach. He was handy enough with a blade, after all.

"That you used me as some sort of…incentive to keep Law alive on the way over here," he wasn't really _mad _about it, per say, because after the day before he'd at least mostly convinced himself that it wasn't worth it to freak out over people seeing him as far more important than he'd ever consider himself, but he still couldn't say he _liked _it.

"I didn't do it to keep him alive," Zoro grunted. "I just told him you'd kick his ass if he died," he looked up, and Sanji tried to figure out the logic in that one before giving up because there really wasn't any. "Look, I didn't know what else to do…I mean, you were the one thing I knew he'd want to live for."

Zoro didn't seem to realize he was only digging himself into a hole that was getting increasingly deeper and deeper. Sanji turned from where he was getting things ready on the counter, crossing his arms. "What about his crew, dumbass? He hadn't seen them in a year," he pointed out, and Zoro shrugged.

"I don't know his crew or how he feels about them. I mean, not really well, anyway," he never stopped peeling, slotting himself into a rhythm that had him moving through the massive pile rather quickly. "I know how he feels about you."

Okay, Zoro had a point, but it was still skirting far too close to territory that Sanji didn't want to explore again, especially after his near-breakdown the day before. "Whatever," he decided, knowing it was cowardly to deflect the topic again but honestly, it wasn't something he could be okay with yet. Law was just…so fucking _much, _he was so _important: _Captain and Warlord and in possession of one of the most coveted and powerful abilities in the whole world…and Sanji was just a _cook, _damn it, so by all rights Law should have never spared him a second glance.

He guessed that some people might feel privileged in his position, but he just felt unworthy. Even after everything Zoro and Law had told him, that wasn't something he could change overnight. And yes, he knew how low Law's _own _self-esteem was, but that didn't make him feel better about anything at the moment.

"Hey," Zoro said, and Sanji shook himself out of his thoughts and turned to look over his shoulder. "I know how you feel about…that, but…fuck," he sighed and stood up, moving to stand beside the cook. "It was bad. He had a fever, and he couldn't stay awake long enough to actually do anything to patch himself up, and he was delirious half the time. I don't get scared often, but every morning when I went in there I didn't expect him to have made it through the night. I didn't sleep much, so when his fever finally broke I think I just kind of passed out beside him," he muttered, looking down at the counter. "By the time I woke up he was pretty much back to himself, so I dunno how much of what I told him he even heard, but he…thanked me, and then kind of just…" he paused and waved his hand, blushing, and even though Sanji was a little shaken hearing _Zoro _say that it was that bad, (considering that he'd said the thing with Kuma was 'nothing', Sanji as a little afraid to find out what constituted 'something' when it came to injuries), he couldn't help but smile and jab Zoro in the ribs with his elbow after that last comment.

"I knew it. You fucking cuddled."

"He really needed it and I was just happy he woke up," Zoro mumbled, obviously trying to play it off as something entirely related to the situation, but Sanji knew better. Yes, he was sure that heightened emotions probably had something to do with it, but from now on the two of them could hardly claim to be awkward around each other because Sanji knew it wasn't the truth.

Sanji finished with his own vegetables, setting them aside, and went to get some fresh fish fillets out of the refrigerator. With the number of people likely eating dinner on the Sunny that night, he didn't want to spend _too _much time on a fancy main dish and grilled fish was easy enough to orchestrate. He set the first one on the counter, starting to de-bone it expertly as Zoro watched over his shoulder.

"Anyway, how'd you find out?" the swordsman asked. "Nobody could have known about that if they weren't on the ship."

"Ran into a couple of Luffy's new allies down on the beach, so I invited them for dinner," Sanji replied brusquely, trying not to get distracted and end up with bones in his fish. "Are you done with those potatoes?"

"Hey," Zoro grunted, and Sanji glanced at him, not even that surprised when Zoro used a finger to tip his chin up so they could kiss. Zoro was getting a lot better at being gentle and…well, as romantic as he'd ever get, probably, but he was a quick learner and Sanji was grateful for it. Zoro broke the kiss and grinned at him, rubbing his thumb along the ridge of Sanji's cheekbone and brushing the long fringe of his bangs before he headed back to the island to resume peeling potatoes. "Luffy's allies, huh? Blond pretty guy and a scary-looking green-haired guy?" he asked vaguely.

"Yeah," Sanji agreed with a nod, finishing with the first fillet and turning around before getting started on the next. "Hey, did you know they're…"

"Yup. There wasn't much room on the ship we all took over here, so I guess it's not that surprising they overheard some of the stuff I was saying to Law, and I definitely overheard some of what _they _got up to. I swear they argue more than us, though, and I didn't even think that was possible," he looked amused and, from what Sanji had seen, he was probably right.

They didn't speak much more as they finished their respective tasks, falling into comfortable silence, but Sanji knew he'd have to talk to Law at some point to let him know his secret was out.

…after he finished de-boning the damn fish, of course.

000

"I'm not going to deny it," Law was still lying on his bed when Sanji went to check on him, and part of him was concerned because he didn't think the other man had moved all day. He knew he shouldn't judge; Law had to deal with what he'd gone through in his own way, but staying in the belly of a submarine for days on end just couldn't be healthy. "Yes, I was rather desperate for human touch and Mr. Zoro is, as you well know, hardly as averse to it as he pretends to be."

"Yeah, so what was up this morning then?" Sanji was sitting beside him, arms looped around his bent knees and unlit cigarette between his lips. "Or do you really think my jealous streak's that big?"

"It's different," Law sighed, closing his eyes. "The situations weren't comparable."

Sanji grunted in lieu of giving an actual answer, because he knew Law was bullshitting but part of him still felt guilty about being too confrontational.

He _did _have something else he wanted to talk to Law about, though…or thank him for, anyway, since at the time they hadn't had a whole lot of time for that.

"Back at Dressrosa…you saved my life again."

"Yes, more than likely," Law immediately understood what he was talking about, thankfully. "But you saved the life of three of your crewmates and a small child by your actions. It was exceptionally stupid, of course, and with all of the times you lectured me about not doing anything to kill myself you seem to have little inclination to apply that to _your_self," he didn't sound angry, at least. "But I cannot fault you for doing it. It's not in your nature to let others take the fall when you can assist them, and in that way we're extremely alike."

"I knew Doflamingo would be strong," Sanji mumbled around the cigarette, rocking back and forth a little on the blankets. "But fuck, I couldn't even _move, _and it was…knowing I was completely at his mercy was fucking terrifying but all I could think about was making sure Nami-san and the others got away so they wouldn't have to go through the same thing."

He knew he'd been foolish, going up against a Warlord without even having any real understanding of what his ability could do, but again…better him than anybody else, after all.

"It would hardly matter if you were fully prepared. I thought I was, after all," Law glanced at what remained of his right arm again. "I was…scared too, you realize. That attack he was aiming at you sheared off an entire building back in the town," he said it completely deadpan, but Sanji's head snapped up.

"Fuck, he would've cut me in half," he realized, suddenly feeling like he'd been doused in ice water and starting to shiver. If Law had been a second later…

Maybe it was strange, but just because he was_ willing_ to die so that the others would be safe, that didn't mean he actually _wanted _to.

Part of his memory from that day was still a little jumbled, just because everything had happened so fast it was hard to process. Law had been all business, shouting orders and running off to take on Doflamingo head-on without once showing any inkling of emotion toward Sanji, but the blond knew that was deliberate on his part so that Doflamingo wouldn't have known he and Law were anything more than reluctant allies.

And then…no, he _really _didn't want to remember that.

"Is there a…" Law paused, sounding unsure. "You can…come closer. If you want."

Sanji glanced at him, a little surprised. Law had been emitting a pretty big vibe that he wanted his space, so Sanji had stayed at the other end of the bed. "You're kind of giving off your death aura again," he mentioned, and Law blinked at him.

"Sorry. I think I do it involuntarily whenever Doflamingo's name gets mentioned," he rolled onto his side. "It's something I don't think will ever go away, if I'm being completely honest."

"I can't exactly blame you," Sanji unfurled his legs and moved closer, leaning his back against the headboard. Law threw his arm over the cook's hips, cheek resting on his stomach, and Sanji thought it was amazing how much Law's body relaxed just from that contact. "But since we're on the topic…I was kind of in the middle of a conference call with everybody when he shot you."

"Fuck," Law tensed up, entirely still for a few breaths. He nudged against the hem of Sanji's shirt, nosing it up until he could reach bare skin, and pressed a kiss against the other man's stomach.

"I don't think I started breathing again until Luffy said that you were still alive," he whispered, fingers finding Law's hair and stroking through it.

"It was a bad day," Law decided, and Sanji thought that was the understatement of the fucking century. "So can we agree not to mention it anymore?"

"Yeah. Of course," Sanji nodded, because that was fine with him as well. "I'm just…I'm really fucking glad you're alive," he'd thought it so many times since they'd all met up again but hadn't said it outright, and while he was pretty sure Law knew, he wanted to say it anyway.

"I can't go through something like that again," Law sounded young, and completely honest. "I can't…"

"You won't have to," Sanji promised, but that more than anything made Cavendish's words come back to him: Law wasn't a typical prate, and while people like Luffy and Zoro would gleefully head back into battle after almost dying, Law up until now had only done so with his goal in mind, and without that, there was no real motivation for him to continue putting such strain on his body.

"You don't know that," Law sighed heavily and pushed himself upright. "I should take a shower and get outside or something, shouldn't I?"

"You're the doctor," Sanji pointed out, pulling Law closer to kiss him. He must have been feeling off, because normally Law was as meticulous about hygiene as Sanji himself was. "But honestly, you kind of smell."

"Thanks," Law snorted, but he was smiling, and Sanji yanked him closer and buried his nose against Law's shoulder. "Thought I smelled."

"Hey, I'm used to Zoro only showering once a week. You're not nearly that bad yet." He felt Law's arm come around his back to hold him, fingers curling into his shirt. There was still something of the remnants of last night's sex clinging to his skin, all sweat-salt and musk

"Shower," Law mumbled, pushing himself away with obvious reluctance and getting off of the bed. He shuffled into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Sanji glanced around the room, examining things more closely for really the first time, although if he was looking for secrets about Law he was going to be sorely disappointed.

There was nothing: no pictures on the walls or propped up on furniture, no closet aside from a trunk that Sanji had seen Law grab clothes out of the day before, not even a book laying around to give the cook some insight as to what interests he had besides medical ones.

He could always snoop through the dresser, he supposed, but that seemed invasive…

There was a rattling from one of the drawers and he nearly jumped out of his skin, although _that _was certainly an excuse to look around a little. He got off of the bed slowly, crossing the room, and yanked open the still-vibrating drawer. Inside was a box about the length of his forearm. It was locked with a heavy padlock, though with the way it was jumping Sanji wasn't too keen on opening it even if he could have.

He lifted it out, trying to figure out what exactly was making the noise, and heard something aside from the frantic scrabbling: a steady thumping, almost like a heartbeat, and he dropped the box and recoiled in horror because _fuck, _that was _disturbing. _

So that's where Law was keeping Doflamingo's heart…and, apparently, his hand, since that's what was obviously skittering around in the box. Sanji shivered and replaced it, preparing to close the drawer when he caught sight of something else. It looked like a picture frame, face-down and the same color as the drawer bottom so that Sanji nearly missed it.

He shouldn't, and he knew it, but curiosity got the better of him and he picked it up, turning it over and feeling his breath catch in his throat. The picture itself looked like it had been through a lot, the edges tattered and the color faded, large creases in the middle showing that it had been folded more than once. It was of a family…_Law's _family, he realized with a start…his mother and father in white coats, smiling broadly, and their two kids looking just as happy clinging to them.

Law himself looked to be maybe nine or ten, so it must have been taken fairly soon before Flevance had been razed, but Sanji was drawn to the image of a younger Law. The smile on his face was pure, unguarded, and while he still had those shadows under his eyes he looked so much _freer. _His sister was the picture of childlike innocence, clinging to her mother's arm with a look of wonder and simple youthful reverence on her face. It was the idyllic family portrait, showing nothing of the poisoning slowly killing all of them, and Sanji was sure that's why Law had chosen to try and preserve it.

"What's that?"

Sanji spun around, hiding the picture to his chest, and let out a breath when he saw it was Zoro. He wasn't sure if Law would be okay with Zoro knowing, but well, he also knew the swordsman wouldn't let up until Sanji showed him, so he held it out.

Zoro glanced at it, his eye widening, and then looked back to Sanji.

"Is that…"

"Yeah," Sanji nodded.

"Did you know?"

"I know what happened to them," Sanji replied shortly, because it wasn't his place to say anything more than that.

"I didn't know he'd had a sister," Zoro frowned, and Sanji knew that he was probably thinking about the girl he'd known, the one who'd owned the white sword, who was also taken far before her time.

"Her name was Lamie."

They both whipped around then, but Law didn't look angry. He just looked…tired, dressed in a pair of tight jeans and with his hair still shower-damp and . "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"It's fine. You of all people should know that," Law waved his hand before padding over and taking the picture. "I haven't looked at this in years," he murmured, rubbing his thumb down the glass on the front of the frame. "Too many ghosts, but…sometimes I wonder what she would have grown up to be."

"Did she want to be a doctor, too?" Sanji asked, and Law shrugged.

"She was too young to think about that yet. All she really wanted to do was go to whatever festival was in town at the time. She was always a lot more carefree than I, even as a child. My parents always said I wanted to know too much for my age, but they taught me anyway, and if they hadn't I doubt I'd be able to do half of what I can medically. I probably knew more about surgery and medicine by the time I was ten than most people know in their entire lives," he set the picture back in the drawer, leaving it face-up this time, before sneering at the shaking box and thumping it with the heel of his hand. "Keep trying. You'll never get out."

"Is that…" Zoro pointed, and Sanji realized he'd probably seen Law take the…items from Doflamingo, so he nodded. Zoro made a face that was halfway between horror and outright disgust, and Sanji had to snicker at that one because it wasn't something he'd seen often from the normally rather stoic man.

Law had gone over to the trunk of clothes he had, rummaging through it and pulling out another T-shirt with his Jolly Roger on (Sanji wondered sometimes if he owned any clothing that _didn't _have it). He ran his hand through his hair once he'd put it on, fluffing it a little. Fuck, he was attractive, and all the more so because he didn't seem to realize it at all. He walked back over, looking at the picture one last time before he closed the drawer. "Well, we can't change the past."

"No. I'm sorry about…whatever happened to them," Zoro sounded extremely awkward saying that, and Law let his hand rest on Zoro's shoulder and nodded.

"I appreciate it. I do hope they'd be proud of what I've become, even if it's, I'm sure, not what they wanted for me. My father…before he died, he was trying to get the government to aid us in researching the amber lead poisoning, and he was brilliant enough that, I believe, if they had cooperated instead of deciding to wipe us all off the face of the planet, he would have succeeded," he patted Zoro's shoulder and then took his hand away, leaving the swordsman looking more confused than ever.

"Those kids," Sanji realized with a start. "At Punk Hazard, is that why…"

"I would have saved them anyway," Law shrugged. "But yes, partially. If I would have had this fruit as a child, I could have saved my people, so anything I can do to ensure others don't suffer the way we did…I feel I owe it to my father to try," he looked down at his hand and smiled faintly.

"Well," Sanji cleared his throat, slinging his arm around Law's shoulders lifting himself up onto the balls of his feet so he could nuzzle against his temple. "I think you inherited more than your father's brains and love for the medical field," he whispered, wanting to lighten the mood a little, since the last thing any of them needed _more _of was doom and gloom.

"Are you implying my father was attractive?" Law let out a rather incredulous bark of laughter that he reined in almost immediately. "Sanji…"

"What?" Sanji grinned, kissing Law's cheek and dropping himself back down to stand properly. "It's true."

He glanced over at Zoro, who half-shrugged in a way that said he agreed. Law ducked his head, his cheeks red, but Sanji vowed from now on to remind Law of how hot he was at every opportunity, both because it was _true _and because it was completely adorable how bashful he got about it.

He still didn't want to embarrass Law _too _much, so he leaned against Law's shoulder before speaking again, keeping his voice as honest as he could. "They'd be proud of you. So would Corazon," he added, and Law nodded, his eyes a little watery.

Zoro was looking confused again at Corazon's name, brow furrowed, and Sanji heard Law let out a heavy sigh as if he'd just decided something important. "I believe I have some things to tell you, Zoro, if you'd care to listen," he stood a little straighter, lifting his chin, and Sanji blinked because he wasn't sure he'd _heard _right, but…

"I'm just Zoro now, huh?" Zoro crossed his arms and grinned.

"Yes. I think there's no point in pretending any longer that we're far more than acquaintances, at any rate," he stepped away from Sanji and moved back toward Zoro. "That is, if you…"

He was cut off, just like earlier that day, by Zoro practically assaulting his mouth. Sanji had to roll his eyes at that because for as much progress as Zoro had made in the romance department, he still seemed to forget his own strength sometimes.

Law set his hand on Zoro's jaw, guiding his head and deepening the kiss. When they separated, Law didn't move away, and he trailed his fingers through Zoro's earrings to make them chime together. "Perhaps we should accompany Sanji to the galley and I can fill in the blanks for you while he finishes dinner preparations?"

"Sure," Zoro headed out of the room first, walking heavily along the corridor leading to the upper levels.

Sanji snaked an arm around Law's waist, leaning into him, and felt the taller man press a kiss into his hair. "I'm glad you trust him."

"I've trusted him for a long time, because I trust _your_ judgement implicitly and I know you do," Law murmured. "But I've come to realize talking about my past doesn't make me weak, and in fact it's probably helping to do so after I've held it in for so long."

Sanji knew they should go, that dinner was hardly going to cook itself, but for some reason he was reluctant to leave Law's embrace and the fact that the taller man wasn't pulling away spoke to him feeling the same way.

"Do you suppose the universe is telling us something considering the number of times we've almost lost each other already?" Law asked, half-thoughtful and half-bemused.

Sanji couldn't say he hadn't had similar thoughts, but then, that was the risk they'd both known they were taking living the lives they did. "Yeah," he decided, looking up at Law, "it's telling us that it knows we're both too damn stubborn to ever let it happen."

He heard Law's answering hum, an acknowledgment if not outright agreement, and finally managed to pull himself away from the warmth of Law's body.

Law fell into step with him as they headed toward the Sunny, moving with an easy grace as if he was starting to adjust to his missing arm, and Sanji thought again how fucking _adaptable _all of them were.

Change was inevitable, but maybe there were some things that never had to.

For today, at least, he found that thought to be the most comforting one of all.

**Notes:**

**1. **I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, because it seemed to take on a life of its own even after I'd initially outlined what I wanted to accomplish here. But it does expand a bit on the Law/Zoro side of things and sets up some plot points that will be relevant later (although I won't give away exactly how, yet…).

**2. **As always, thank you all so much for continuing to read and leave feedback on this series! I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it was probably too much talking :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 7/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3993  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Up to chapter 773.

**Chapter Seven**

Dinner, as expected, as a lively affair. Between all of his own crew, most of Law's men, and the two other captains, he was on his feet all evening and barely got the chance to shovel some food into his own mouth before he was running again.

Bartomoleo had nearly fainted outright at meeting Nami, Chopper and Brook at the same time, and Cavendish spent most of the night grumbling about how nobody was paying any attention to _him. _Law's crew were always cordial enough, but there were a lot of them and they were _loud, _and his own…well, they were a handful all by themselves.

It was nearing midnight by the time everybody finally dispersed, leaving Sanji with piles of dishes and the remnants of food spread everywhere, and he groaned and thought that if he got two hours of sleep tonight that would be all he could hope for. He'd have to get up at five in the morning to start breakfast anyway, after all.

He wasn't sure where everybody else had gone, but it sounded as if the party had just moved out to the deck, so he cleaned everything up as quickly as he could before some of them decided to come back in. By the time the dishes were cleaned and put away, the sounds from the outside had quieted, and he was barely able to keep his eyes open as he set the last clean plate back into the cupboard.

Part of him wanted to just lie down on the bench behind the table and catch two or three hours of sleep, but the thought of a warm bed and warm bodies to cuddle up to was too appealing and he slumped out of the galley with his wet dishrag still slung over his shoulder.

Law's sub was as quiet as the Sunny, creaking softly as it swayed in the gentle waves of the harbor. He knew the path to Law's room by heart already, passing through the corridors to the familiar door.

He shuffled through the living quarters to the bedroom, shoving open the door and groaning as he tried not to trip over his feet and face-plant onto the bed.

"It's late."

"Yeah, well, you try feeding fifty people and see how quick you can get all the cleaning done," Sanji grunted, knowing he was being grumpy. He barely had any energy to strip his shirt off before he all but collapsed on the bed, groaning.

Law clicked his tongue, setting aside the book he'd been reading. Zoro, of course, was asleep already, his head in Law's lap as he snored quietly. Law had indeed kept his promise to talk about his past over dinner preparations (although, and Sanji might have been too smug about this, he only told Zoro a very basic amount of information compared to what he'd shared with Sanji over the weeks). Zoro hadn't really reacted to any of it, which was probably for the best because Law hated being pitied, but Sanji knew the other man was far more sensitive than he let on and no doubt he wasn't as unaffected as he pretended to be. He doubted Zoro would have curled up so close to Law otherwise, after all. "You were right about him being a cuddler, even though apparently he does it instinctively when asleep," Law glanced at him from over the top of his glasses and Sanji burrowed himself into Law's side, snuggled under his arm.

"I feel guilty, now," Law stroked his shoulder. "I could have offered some assistance in cleaning up, at least. My powers would have made things go a lot quicker."

"It's fine. I would have made somebody help me if I'd have needed it," Sanji felt like he was floating, caught somewhere between sleep and waking, and it was so fucking comfortable he never wanted to leave. "I'm used to not getting much sleep."

"You work too hard," Law replied firmly, his fingers moving into Sanji's hair and starting to massage his scalp. Sanji purred, feeling like some sort of cat, but it was just what he'd needed. "Oh, Mr. Robo informed me that my arm should be ready after lunch tomorrow," he added, his voice impassive, although Sanji could hear the obvious undercurrent of relief there.

"Mm, that's good," he mumbled, pressing a kiss to Law's chest. He was glad to hear it, for Law's sake, because while it honestly didn't matter to him he knew the older man wouldn't feel like himself until he had it properly attached and he understood that completely.

He let his own hand rest on Zoro's back, knowing he wouldn't be able to stay awake for much longer.

"I'll let you sleep," Law kept rubbing his head, his motions repetitive and soothing.

"You should sleep, too," Sanji muttered, his words slurred from exhaustion.

"I will," Law promised, bending down to kiss his forehead. Sanji hummed, marveling a little at how open Law was being since coming back from Dressrosa. Of course the situation wasn't ideal, but Law seemed a lot less reluctant to show affection now and Sanji appreciated that more than he could say. Law still had his secrets, and he'd always have his scars, but at least Sanji could trust now that Law wasn't holding back with him.

He had one last thought before he fell asleep and made a mental note to talk to Franky as soon as he got up in the morning.

…he just hoped he'd remember it later.

000

When he woke up, the first thing he felt was confusion. His body felt cold, as if he'd somehow rolled out from under the blankets overnight, but there was a heat radiating from his lower half and his sleep-muddled mind took more than a few seconds to figure out why.

"I think he's awake."

Law's voice had that tonal quality he only got when he was aroused or trying purposefully to be seductive, a type of low growl in the back of his throat that made Sanji's entire body shiver.

"Good."

The word sent vibrations through his body, and _that_ certainly wasn't normal, so he forced his eyes open to see what was happening.

"Good morning," Law was staring at him, mischief evident in his golden eyes, and Sanji wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and hauled him in for a sleepy kiss. He gasped into Law's mouth as the sensations through his body increased, and that's when he finally clued into what was happening. "Zoro and I thought we'd give you a little…gift, since you work so hard to keep us fed," he purred, every word dripping pure sex, and Sanji panted against his mouth and groaned.

"Have I actually managed to make you speechless, Cook?"

Sanji arched his back and whined, his body convulsing involuntarily and his fingers clenching at Zoro's hair. He really didn't care _whose _idea it was to wake him up with a morning blowjob, as long as it didn't end too quickly.

"It's truly quite a talent he has" Law said idly, but a second later his smug façade dropped and he huffed a frustrated breath, trying to shift his body and not really making any progress with it.

"Don't," Sanji reached for him again with his free hand, nudging his nose against the surgeon's. "It's okay. Just…stay here," he urged. He didn't know what Law had been planning to do, but it was obviously something that required at least one arm to brace himself against the bed, and right now if he did that he couldn't really do much else.

It wasn't anything to feel _bad _for, though, even if Law obviously thought so.

Law eventually nodded, his lips pressed together in a tight line, and ducked his head to lick a wet stripe up Sanji's throat, latching onto his pulse-point and sucking.

"_Fuck," _Sanji tipped his head back, letting the pleasure wash over him.

"Hey, Cook, can you get your legs over my shoulders?" Zoro asked, finally pulling off of his cock so that he could raise Sanji's hips. He ended up with his knees bent over Zoro's back, body bent almost in half with his shoulders pressed down into the mattress. It let Zoro rise up so he was kneeling instead of laying prone, and Sanji wondered what he was up to. "Good?"

"Yeah," the blond swallowed, breathless, and his eyes nearly rolled back in his head when Zoro deep-throated him without any hesitation. His large hands clamped onto Sanji's ass, knees spread on the blankets, and he started to bodily move Sanji, forcing the other man's cock deeper down his throat and out again by guiding his hips.

Sanji yelped and told himself to hang on, because Zoro basically fucking his own mouth with Sanji's cock wasn't something he'd considered, but since he couldn't really do it himself from the position he was in, he had to trust Zoro knew what his own limits were.

He certainly had no gag reflex, and every time he decided to speak it sent vibrations skittering through Sanji's body like he'd never experienced before.

He fisted one hand in the sheets, trying to keep himself steady even though his shoulders were sliding every time Zoro pulled his body in and then away again. The other one he kept locked around Law's shoulders, holding him close, as Law kissed back up to his mouth.

Zoro shifted him a little, using one hand set under his lower back to keep his body completely still even as he was half-suspended. He started to bob his head instead, lips sliding over Sanji's cock as the blond moaned into Law's mouth, not even caring how shameless he was being.

"You're close," Law murmured, his eyes locked with Sanji's. "Don't fight it."

"Zoro…" Sanji said shakily. "Zoro, fuck, if you don't want me to…i-if…"

"He can handle it," Law assured him, brushing another kiss across his bruised lips. "Come."

And Sanji had never been able to deny Law when he gave that command, the muscles of his stomach clenching and his legs going rigid over Zoro's shoulders. He felt his entire body shudder, fingers gripping Law's shoulder hard enough to leave marks. Zoro let Sanji's cock slip from his mouth, pressing a kiss to the spit-slick head, and Sanji's body flopped to the bed as if boneless.

"Fucking _hell_, Zoro," he groaned, and _shit, _he wouldn't mind being woken up like that more often.

"Yeah?" Zoro crawled up his body to kiss him, the bitter aftertaste on his tongue a testament to what he'd just done. Sanji was coming not to mind the taste, though, and there was something indescribably hot about the act.

"Yeah," Sanji pulled back. "Hey. You two should…y'know," he quirked a curled eyebrow and Zoro grinned, looking over at Law. "I want to watch."

He knew as soon as he met Law's eyes, though, that it wasn't going to happen, and Zoro seemed to clue I at the same time because he rolled his own eye and huffed a rather irritated-sounding breath.

"Law, seriously," Sanji held out his hand but Law shook his head, getting off of the bed and wrapping his arm around his body like he was trying to make himself look smaller. "It doesn't fucking _matter…"_

_"_To you it doesn't," Law replied shortly, eyes flashing. "But when I cannot even give you pleasure the way I desire to…" he stopped, gritting his teeth, and turned his back to them. "Continue if you wish. Perhaps after I receive my new arm I'll be more inclined to participate, but at the moment, it's only making everything worse."

Zoro met Sanji's eyes, jerking his head in Law's direction, and Sanji nodded and slipped out from under the swordsman to walk quietly across the room. He tried to sense how Law was feeling, but the other man had slammed all of his walls up and the only thing Sanji could really pick out was that he felt guilty for stopping things.

"Hey," he reached out, laying his fingertips over the tattoo on Law's back. "It's fine."

"It isn't," Law said with a terse shake of his head. "It won't ever be."

"Not if you keep telling yourself it won't," Sanji tried to keep his voice neutral even though he was getting a little annoyed now. "At least wait until you try out the arm before you start being melodramatic about it."

"I apologize. Some days it just hits me harder than others, I suppose," he sounded so defeated. Sanji pulled his hand away, moving so that he was facing Law. He drew the taller man into an embrace, guiding Law's forehead to rest on his shoulder so their heights were more even, and held him as tight as he dared. "I know…" Law started, his words hesitant. "I know you don't view me any differently, and I appreciate that more than I can say, but there are times I still forget and go to do something that would have been second-nature with two hands and instead I just…_can't, _and it…"

"Like the Cook said, it's fine," Zoro stood up and made his own way over. "And I get it. After I lost my eye, it took me forever to adjust to having to turn my whole head if I wanted to look left, and my depth perception was all fucked up. I had to re-learn a lot of my techniques to account for having a giant blind spot. But I did it, and you're damn well stubborn enough to not let this stop you," he growled, almost daring Law to contradict him. Law didn't really make any sort of response, his breath harsh against Sanji's shoulder.

Zoro walked closer, hesitating for a few moments as if waiting for some sort of signal before he hooked his chin over Law's shoulder and wrapped his arms around the other man's chest. Law's body stiffened before he suddenly went limp between them, and Sanji felt a jolt of concern before he realized what was happening.

Law was _letting _them comfort him. He was completely lax, trusting them to hold him up and hold him together even as his own sense of hopelessness threatened to overtake him. It was a huge gesture and Sanji just hoped they ended up being worthy of it.

"You're gonna be fine, idiot," Sanji whispered into Law's hair, nuzzling his nose into the fluffy strands. "And if you need to lean on us for a while, nobody's gonna think you're weaker because of it."

"I know that. I do," Law promised. "Sometimes it's just hard for me to convince myself of it," he kissed Sanji's shoulder and cleared his throat before straightening up. "But you both should know that you're helping me far more than I can ever articulate, and probably more than I deserve, so I do thank you for that," he seemed in control of himself again so Sanji reluctantly let him go, and Law spared him a last tiny smile before heading into the bathroom.

Sanji shivered a little, realizing he was still naked, and sighed happily when Zoro's arms wrapped around him with more than welcome warmth. "He's still so damn guarded," Zoro mentioned, staring at the closed bathroom door, and Sanji nodded.

"I think that's never gonna change. He's a lot better than he was, though," he thought back to the first time they'd fooled around, where Law had pretty much shut down entirely and sat there staring blankly into space after the fact. Sanji much preferred Law how he was now, even if he could still sometimes slip back into his old habits.

"Yeah," Zoro let go of him and he went to go get dressed, knowing he needed to start breakfast.

And then talk to Franky, he reminded himself.

He had an idea.

000

Usopp wasn't happy when Sanji pretty much grabbed him by the nose and carted him down to Franky's workshop after breakfast, and he stood there poking at his tender nose and grimacing while Sanji explained what he was thinking to Franky.

"Yeah, it's possible, bro," Franky shrugged. "I'm done with the arm so I'll grab it for you," he lumbered off and Usopp sniffed, still looking put-out.

"Think you can handle it?" Sanji knew the best way to get Usopp's mind off of his own indignity was to challenge him, and Usopp predictably puffed out his chest and set his hands on his hips.

"I, the great Usopp, am an expert artist and can no doubt deliver exactly what you are asking!" he crowed, even though Sanji knew he could.

That's why he'd asked him, after all.

"But um…" Usopp blushed and stared at the floor, stammering a little. "Y-you've probably looked at them more than I have, I mean…since you…" he flailed his arms a little and Sanji had to laugh.

He knew Usopp was fine with him and Law, but he still turned into stuttering mess whenever he brought up the fact that they were intimate on a regular basis.

"Usopp, you can say it. I'm not ashamed of it," Sanji smirked at him, laying his arm across Usopp's shoulders and running his fingers down the sniper's arm.

"Th-th-that's not it!" Usopp squeaked, though he didn't try to pull away. Sanji could feel at least a little sympathy for him, since he had his girl at home and he knew that Usopp wanted to be faithful to her, but he was still a teenager and probably horny as fuck when it came down to it. Maybe he was jealous that Sanji had found somebody to release some tension with, or maybe it was more _who _he'd found (Usopp might have still been terrified of Law, but he'd admitted more than once to Sanji how attractive the man was), but at any rate Sanji couldn't take offense to his reluctance to mention it more than he had to.

"I know," he promised, laying his cheek against Usopp's curly hair. "But I'll help you out."

"Okay. Good," Usopp nodded, glancing up when Franky came back in carrying what certainly _looked _like a rather passable human arm. In fact, once it was in place, Sanji figured that anybody who didn't already know would have a hard time realizing it was mechanical.

"Here you go, bros!" Franky set the arm down and went to root around in a cabinet, returning with a vial of some sort of black paint. "And this is the stuff I use for my paint jobs, so it's not gonna come off easy," he warned, causing Usopp to gulp.

Yes, it meant that it would be durable, but it also meant that Usopp couldn't fuck this up and that added a lot of pressure to it.

"You'll do fine," Sanji promised, seating himself cross-legged on the floor and tugging Usopp down beside him. "Now, let's get started."

000

It was almost dinnertime before he saw Law again, the older man having disappeared with Franky after lunch, although Sanji had no idea how long it would take to get the arm attached properly. He knew Franky wouldn't let Law walk out of there until he was completely satisfied, and hopefully it would improve Law's mood a little as well.

The latter certainly seemed to be true, because he barely had time to register the clumping of booted feet behind him before he was spun around, Law grabbing his face and kissing him with an intensity that he'd rarely experienced from the surgeon (and really, if Law was picking up anything from Zoro, Sanji would rather it _not _be the fact that he kissed like he was trying to subdue some sort of enemy).

He kissed back, clutching at Law's arms, and he realized two things at the same time: he was grabbing both of the other man's elbows, and Law had two hands on his face, holding his head steady while he damn near plundered his mouth.

"Thank you," Law whispered against his lips when he pulled back, hands dropping from Sanji's face.

"For what?" Sanji asked, raising an eyebrow. He leaned one hip on the counter, crossing his arms and looking at Law more closely.

He looked…good. The arm fit him, well, like a glove, as bad as that analogy might be. It was a near replica of his left arm, and Franky had even matched his skin tone perfectly. And Sanji and Usopp's addition had turned out better than he could have hoped, the tattoos expertly and precisely painted and placed. There was a tiny, barely noticeable seam where Law's real arm met the mechanical one, and of course it didn't feel exactly like skin, but for what it was Sanji could hardly imagine a better solution.

"I know you're behind this," Law gestured to the tattoos and Sanji shrugged one shoulder, giving him a rather flirty toss of his head before he turned back to his dinner preparations.

"I might have been," he said vaguely. "How is it?"

"Much more responsive than the prototype. It's still not exactly an _instant_ response, but it's close enough that it won't affect me much," he replied.

"What about…like, can you _feel _things with it?" Sanji wasn't sure if Franky had technology advanced enough to replicate nerves and the like, but it wouldn't surprise him since the shipwright seemed capable of almost anything.

"Sort of. I can feel…textures," Law explained. "I can tell if something's hard or soft, and I can regulate how much pressure to exert…for instance," he picked up a coffee cup on the counter, the fingers of the arm jittering a little before seizing around the fragile object. "I'm not going to go around breaking glasses by squeezing them too hard. I don't think I can feel temperatures…or pain, for that matter, but that's not something I'm going to complain about," he pursed his lips into a thin line.

The galley door opened then and Usopp came in, his eyes widening when he saw the two of them. "Um…hi, I was just…I…"

"Usopp painted the tattoos," Sanji said, and Law spun away from him and stalked over to the younger man, who cowered back and raised his hands like he was expecting an attack.

"Don't worry, Mr. Nose. I merely want to thank you. It…it means a lot to me," he held out his real hand but Usopp seemed to gain some sort of courage in that moment and threw his arms around Law's body instead, holding him for just a moment before he sprung away as if burned.

"Don't kill me," he begged, but Law only looked vaguely amused. He set a hand on Usopp's shoulder, giving him a smile that, for him, was rather kind.

"I would hope all of your crew have learned by now that I'm hardly somebody to fear. Just don't make a habit of it," he mentioned. Sanji knew that Law would never be as touchy as Usopp and Luffy were with everybody, but at least he was coming around a little.

"I'm glad you like them," Usopp laughed and patted Law's arm before moving away. "I'll leave you two alone," he called over his shoulder, seemingly brimming with confidence once more.

"You should go show Zoro," Sanji spoke up, going to pre-heat the oven and wiping his hands on his apron once he straightened up. "And then later on maybe you two can give me the show you copped out on this morning. If you feel up to it…"

"I believe I just might," Law wasn't shutting down the idea entirely, which was a good sign. "I'll leave you to your work, then," he raised his real hand in a wave, leaving the galley, and Sanji started humming to himself.

Maybe now Law could finally start to move forward, and in the end, that would be a good thing for them all.

**Notes:**

**1. **Yes, now that Law's got his arm 'back', the real plot of this fic can start, and that will be introduced in the next chapter…

**2. **I don't have a lot else to say about this chapter, but thank you all again for continuing to read this fic and for your lovely feedback!


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 8/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3886  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Up to chapter 773.  
><strong>Other Notes: <strong>There is a fair bit of Zoro/Law in this chapter (with Sanji still being present but…well, read it and you'll see…) so just a heads-up on that!

**Chapter Eight**

"So what are my rules?"

"What makes you think there's going to be _rules?" _Law asked, something innocuously innocent about his blank expression. "You're the one who said you wanted this."

"Don't fuck with me, Trafalgar," Sanji jabbed a finger at Law's chest, staring intently. "With you, there's _always _rules."

"Well, when they so obviously arouse you…" Law clicked his tongue and took a step back. "Fine, then. Wait here."

He left the room, heading out into the parlor area. Sanji could hear furniture shifting and then Law was coming back through the door carrying what looked like a dining room chair, complete with a padded seat and thin wooden arms. He set it on the floor facing toward the bed and gestured toward it.

His arm, Sanji noted as he went to sit down, seemed to be giving him remarkably little trouble for how many issues the prototype had caused. Its movements were still a little jerky, as if there was a delay between Law's brain telling it what to do and the mechanics responding, but he was sure that in a few days or weeks it would hardly be noticeable.

Law already seemed more like himself even after only a few hours, more confident and self-assured, and Sanji was happier than he could even express about that because the broken shell of a man Law had been just that morning wasn't a person Sanji wanted to see more of.

"Arms on the chair," Law said then, and Sanji let his elbows rest on the arms of the chair, straightening his back and keeping his arms lying flat on the wood. "Now, here are your rules," he leaned closer, tilting Sanji's head up with a fingertip and forcing the blond to meet his eyes. "You sit here for the duration of our little…session. You're not to touch yourself, and if your hands move off of the chair, we're stopping no matter how far along we are. So really, you're the one in control of how much you get to see," he smirked, something devious about it, and Sanji gulped and nodded. "Good boy."

"What are you, um, gonna do?" Sanji asked cautiously, because as far as he knew Zoro and Law weren't _that _comfortable with each other yet.

"That remains to be seen. I was _hoping, _however…" he looked behind him as Zoro came into the room, glancing between them curiously and eventually sighing. He was probably used to Law's strange whims and orders now, Sanji thought with a smile. "I was hoping that Zoro would agree to fuck me."

Sanji squeaked, his cock suddenly taking a definite interest in the proceedings, but he had little room to even grow hard in his tight pants.

"Are you having some difficulty?" Law asked, although it was obvious by his smug look that he knew _exactly _what Sanji was having 'difficulty' with, the bastard.

He'd probably planned this, too.

Sanji shook his head, stubbornly refusing to give in to his arousal even though if just the _idea _had him squirming he wasn't sure how he'd survive actually seeing it.

"Do I get a say in this?" Zoro cleared his throat and they both turned to look at him.

"By all means," Law straightened up, crossing his arms. He looked a little wary now, and Sanji knew all too well that most of his put-on cockiness when it came to sexual situations was to cover up the fact that he was remarkably insecure at the best of times. He didn't need it anymore, of course, but Sanji had a feeling Law was mostly doing it for his benefit at this point. "If you don't wish to…"

"Of course I do," Zoro sounded almost offended that Law needed to ask, and the surgeon blinked at him a few times before nodding. "It's not like you ask that many people, right?"

"So what, it's some sort of honor?" Law scoffed. "Hardly. Admittedly it's not something I've consented to often, but you two are aren't the first," his voice was tight, like he was remembering unpleasant things, and Sanji almost reached out before remembering that he wasn't supposed to.

Law noticed, of course, because he was far too perceptive. He took a step back and settled himself on Sanji's lap, arms wrapped around his neck. His metal arm was cool against Sanji's skin, but whatever Franky had used to make it look like flesh felt rubbery and pliant. Not real, perhaps, but certainly a passable substitute.

"You want to talk about it?" he murmured, feeling Law shrug.

"It was never against my will, don't worry. I was young, though, and unlearned in much of the ways of the world, with no power or reputation behind my name. I can safely say that, since I've attained my current standing in the world, you're the only one that's been inside of me in that way," he added. "It was a shock when I first discovered people desired me for my looks, because for so long after I'd cut the amber lead poisoning from my body, I still bore the marks of it."

"Hmm?" Sanji asked, because Law had never talked about that before.

"One of the biggest symptoms was that large patches of skin began to turn white, and the more the disease progressed, the more skin was affected. By the time I received my fruit, I probably had more white patches than my actual skin color. They faded in time, most of them, and those that didn't…" he paused, reaching to strip his shirt off and frowning when it took a couple of tries to get his right hand to let go of the fabric.

Zoro walked closer, setting a hand on Law's shoulder to let him know where he was and leaning down, his fingers sliding along the jolly roger tattoo on Law's back. "Yeah. It's really hard to see, but there's definitely lighter patches," he kept his hand there, not that Law seemed to mind.

"Some of my tattoos are purely aesthetic, but a lot of them were to cover up all the remains of the poisoning. I had far too many people call me a monster because of something I couldn't control that I wanted a way to hide it permanently," his voice was even, unemotional, but Sanji knew the words had cut him deeply as a child. He couldn't imagine being told repeatedly that he was unnatural, that he was some sort of aberration, especially when it was because of something that wasn't even a danger to anybody else. "Eventually I grew taller, and stronger, and started to make a reputation for myself. Most people brave enough to proposition me apparently didn't want to push their luck or my patience, so until that afternoon with you it had been several years since I had been on the receiving end of anal penetration."

"You make it sound so unappealing," Sanji decided to skirt Law's rules a little, kissing his neck and letting his lips linger on the man's fluttering pulse. "But I know you enjoyed it."

"I did. It was by far the most I've ever submitted to anybody, but I do want you to know that even though I could have escaped my bonds should the need have arisen, I knew I wouldn't have to, because I trusted you," he murmured.

"You're doing that sappy thing again," Zoro grunted, although Sanji noticed that his hands hadn't left Law's skin. "For a guy as creepy as you can be you're also fucking romantic when you want to be."

"I don't make a habit of it, as you well know," Law's voice was back to being neutral. "But I believe we're supposed to put on a show, Zoro, so shall we?"

"Yeah," Zoro stepped back and Law got off of Sanji's lap, moving toward the bed as he undid his jeans. "Can we…I mean, do I have to go easy on your arm?"

"Mr. Robo assured me that there's very little I can do to damage it short of it getting crushed by a battleship," he noted. "You've traveled with him for a long time, after all, and I'm sure you know what his body can absorb."

"Yeah, he's a fucking tank," Zoro grunted. "But I don't wanna mess it up on the first night."

"I'm quite sure we have nothing to worry about," Law stepped out of his pants, tossing them aside and standing there gloriously naked. "Coming?"

Zoro got undressed in near record time and moved closer to Law, both of them seemingly hesitant now.

"Seriously, would the two of you get on with it already?" Sanji huffed, irritated.

Zoro grinned at him, something about it telling Sanji that now he was just putting off getting started because he was a fucking bastard who liked to see Sanji suffer, but he did eventually reach out, his large hand cupping Law's hip.

"You're a cruel man," Law lifted his arms, settling them around Zoro's neck.

"Like you're any better?" Zoro scoffed, both hands on Law's waist now, and he tugged at him gently to get him to step closer. "You know, I'm not used to feeling short."

"Hmm, well, that's not something I can change," Law craned his neck down so they could kiss, and Sanji was a little surprised by how careful it was. Even after hearing about Law's past, Zoro hadn't really been treating him any differently, but suddenly there was this…gentleness between them that hadn't been there before.

"So. We should…" Zoro cleared his throat awkwardly when he pulled away. "I mean…"

"Yes, it wouldn't do to be _too _cruel, now would it?" Law looked back at Sanji with a grin that was much too evil before settling himself on the edge of the bed. Zoro shrugged, crossing around the bed and snagging the bottle of oil from the nightstand.

Law kept his eyes locked with Sanji's the entire time he laid himself out on the blankets, bracing his body with his new arm. Zoro took the invitation immediately, curling his body around Law's from behind. He moved a knee between the surgeon's legs, getting him to spread them a little, and Sanji could hear him fumbling with the bottle and then the slight, almost imperceptible catch in Law's breath and flutter of his eyelashes when the first finger was inserted.

"Okay?" Zoro asked, and Law twisted his upper body so he could pull him down into a kiss. It looked awkward but Sanji knew Law was pretty damn flexible when it came to it. That he was lying on the bed meant Zoro had to be higher than him, and Sanji had no doubt he'd done it on purpose after the swordsman's earlier complaints about feeling short.

They were fucking beautiful together, Sanji thought as a shiver passed through his body. The room was nearly silent, and he'd known that neither of them were loud, but something about the slide of skin against skin, the wet smack of their mouths connecting and then breaking apart, the way Law's breathing hitched and stuttered when Zoro's fingers probed deeper…it was incredibly erotic, and Sanji knew there was no fucking way he'd be able to keep himself from getting hard.

He spread his legs as much as he could, feeling the friction as his pants pressed up against his rapidly hardening cock. His fingers were clenched around the arms of the chair, trying to keep himself grounded and keep his hands from moving at the same time.

Law broke the kiss, tilting his head back and groaning quietly. Zoro kissed the other man's neck, moving up to tongue the earrings on the ear closest to him as Law's mouth dropped open in a soundless gasp and his entire body shuddered. His cock was hard by now, flushed and curving toward his flat stomach, pre-cum beading at the tip, and Sanji had never really had the urge to go down on another man before but fuck him if that wasn't what he most wanted to do in that moment.

Of course, it was the one time he couldn't, but Law was a fucking work of art and for as hard as it was to sit there and not join in, there was something so flawless about the scene in front of him that he was almost glad he just got to watch and take everything in.

_Almost, _because he'd still prefer to be a part of it, but he could handle this for tonight.

Zoro still had his mouth pressed against Law's ear, his jaw moving in a way that told Sanji he was whispering something. Law nodded, chest heaving, a thin sheen of sweat starting to glisten on his dark skin.

Sanji growled to himself because he'd had enough of those two and their seemingly silent communication but now they weren't even letting him hear when they were _talking _to each other.

Law groaned then, low in his throat, the sound pure lust. Sanji couldn't stop his hips from bucking, trapping his cock against the rough fabric of his pants. He whimpered, hoping Law and Zoro were too engrossed in each other to hear, but of course he wasn't that lucky.

"Hmm, it seems like Sanji's having a…_hard_ time over there," Law smirked at him, reaching back to clench his fingers in Zoro's hair and kissing him again, open-mouthed, loud and dirty. They were doing it on purpose now, being as overt as possible, but Sanji knew that it wasn't _all _for him.

He knew well enough by now that both Law and Zoro wouldn't be doing this if they didn't want to. Neither of them were that good at hiding when they weren't doing something they enjoyed, and the show they were putting on spoke volumes.

Well, he'd always known they were attracted to each other, and he was…that was fine, he told himself firmly. It didn't impact his own relationship with either of them, after all.

At least, he was pretty sure of that.

Mostly.

He shook his head and forced himself to stop worrying about things that weren't true anyway…and especially not when he had more important things to focus on.

They hadn't noticed that he'd zoned out for a little, mostly because they still seemed to be attempting to eat each other's faces. Law squirmed a little, pulling away with a gasp as his cock twitched and Zoro grinned at him.

"Good?" the swordsman asked, and Law nodded again. "Okay. How are we doing this?"

"Well, since it won't be much fun for Sanji if we're not engaging him in some way…" he rolled onto his stomach, bracing his elbows on the bed and lifting his hips. Sanji knew there were two reasons for it, and while one was probably so that Law _could_ keep his eyes on Sanji, the other was that it wasn't a position he could have held with only one arm.

Zoro grabbed the lube and slicked his own cock, kneeling behind Law and gripping his hips. "Okay?"

"Mm," Law purred, and Sanji couldn't see much of what Zoro was doing from where he was but he saw Law shiver, his mouth dropping open as his body adjusted to having Zoro's rather impressive cock inside of him. "Sanji."

"Yeah?" Sanji's head snapped up, a little surprised Law was addressing him in that moment.

"You're not allowed to touch yourself, but that doesn't mean you're not allowed to come," he murmured.

Sanji whined a little, thrusting his hips forward again, and he really didn't doubt he'd be able to.

"You're too nice to him," Zoro laid himself over Law's back, one hand coming off of Law's hip to run up his stomach. Law pushed his body up, extending his arms so that his palms were flat on the blankets. "How's your arm?"

"Fine," Law assured him. "It's going to take more than this to damage it."

In fact, while Law's real arm was shaking a little probably both from the strain of holding both his weight and where Zoro was draped over him, the metal one was rock-solid.

"Good. Hang on," Zoro kissed his shoulder and started to move, drawing his hips back and slamming forward with enough force that Law had to fist his fingers in the fabric underneath them. He yelped a little, the sound cut off almost immediately as he glared over his shoulder. "Thought you could handle it."

"I can still cut you in half from here," Law reminded him, but the threat was empty and all of them knew it.

Zoro chuckled and started to move his hips again, albeit a little less harshly, fucking with a steady rhythm. One hand was still clamped around Law's hip to keep them both in place, and he trailed the other farther up Law's chest, thumb rubbing over one peaked, dusky nipple. Law let out a tiny moan at that, not bothering to hide it this time, and the sound went straight to Sanji's cock.

He leaned back in the chair, raising his hips and starting to unconsciously mirror Zoro's rhythm as he thrust. His clothing felt too heavy on his body, too constricting, and he rolled his shoulders back, pulling the material of his dress shirt taut across his chest, causing it to rub against his own nipples as the extra friction made him cry out.

"He's putting on a pretty good show himself, wouldn't you say?" Law asked, his voice breathy and broken by Zoro's incessant fucking. His eyes were nearly black when they met Sanji's and the blond tightened his hands around the chair and almost desperately started to buck his hips.

"You're both so fucking hot," Zoro growled, moving both hands back to Law's hips to give himself more leverage. "How much can you take?"

"Whatever you've got," Law promised. His eyes were half-closed, head tilted back, cock leaking and leaving streaks of wetness on his stomach from smacking against it with the force of how fast Zoro was fucking him now.

"_Fuck," _Sanji breathed, tensing his body and trying to find release because he was so fucking _close_ and he knew that if either of them so much as touched him he'd fall apart in a second, but for some reason he couldn't seem to do it by himself.

He closed his eyes, trying to focus only on the sensations thrumming through his body, but they snapped open again at the next noise Law made. It almost sounded painful, a half-sobbed gasp of pure relief, and Sanji saw that Zoro had wrapped one hand around Law's cock and was jerking him off in time with his thrusts.

"Are you…" Zoro asked, getting a shaky nod from Law. "Good. 'Cause I can't keep this up for much…much longer…"

He was visibly coming apart, Sanji could tell. His brow was furrowed in concentration, obviously trying to hold out as long as possible, but he was close to the edge.

Law shoved his hips back, doing something that made Zoro let out a grunt of surprise, and then his whole body shook as he laid out over Law's back, teeth digging into his shoulder. His hips gave a few last spasms before stilling.

He kept his hand moving, flying over Law's cock with a speed that Sanji knew would end things sooner rather than later, so he gritted his teeth and tried whatever he could to get himself off, his own body nearly screaming at him for release that just _wasn't coming. _

"Sanji," Law said, surprisingly firm for somebody as close to falling apart as he was. "Your body…_fuck…_it knows what you need. Give in to it," he'd barely finished speaking when his orgasm washed over him, the last word cutting off in a high-pitched yelp he'd probably deny for his entire life. His cum splattered against his abs, startlingly white against his skin, and Sanji was so involved in watching that his own climax caught him by surprise, hips juddering as he spilled into his pants.

He knew he was a mess, clothing soaked in sweat and pants stained with his release. His body kept shaking with tiny aftershocks as he came down, forcing his breathing under control.

Zoro and Law were kissing again, a little less urgent this time. Sanji barely had the energy to groan in appreciation when Zoro lifted his soiled hand, Law eagerly sucking the fingers into his mouth and licking them clean of his own cum.

Law sighed when Zoro slid out of him, letting his body flop to the mattress and shifting his fake arm a little to get it to comply with where he wanted to move it.

"Is it okay?" Zoro asked and Law rolled his eyes, nodding.

"As I said earlier, yes. It's fine. My ass, however, may be a different story come morning."

"Ah," Zoro blushed, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing nervously. "Sorry…"

"No, it was most enjoyable," Law promised. "But if you would be so kind as to fetch a damp cloth…"

"Yeah," Zoro kissed him again before getting off of the bed and staggering into the bathroom. Law rolled over and looked at Sanji, giving him that smile that Sanji had only ever seen directed at him and easing his earlier doubts a little.

"Well? Get over here."

The blond was out of the chair in a second, stripping his clothes off without a care for his stained pants because he needed to _touch, _damn it, and he rolled Law onto his back, kissing him feverishly.

Law wrapped his arms around Sanji's neck, not breaking the kiss until Zoro had returned with the cloth. He still looked remarkably blissed-out and open, shifting obligingly when the swordsman directed him, and when Zoro finally drew the cloth away it seemed all he could do to curl up as close to Sanji as possible and nuzzle his neck.

"So?" Zoro asked, tossing the cloth aside and settling himself on Law's other side. "Was that good for you?"

"Yeah," Sanji promised, hauling him in for a kiss as well. "I guess I don't need to ask the same?" he raised an eyebrow and Zoro shrugged.

Law was half-asleep by now, his breathing evening out, and Sanji wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in closer.

"He's fucking amazing, isn't he?" Zoro asked softly, looking at Law with open admiration. It was rare for Zoro to admit that at all, about _anybody,_ and probably even more remarkable considering he and Law had started out barely being able to stand each other.

"Yeah," Sanji stroked his fingers through Law's fluffy hair, feeling the weight of the metal arm around his waist and knowing that things were back to being as normal as they'd ever be. "He really is."

Zoro reached over Law's body to stroke Sanji's hip, eye telling Sanji without speaking that his last words had been meant for Sanji as well, and the cook felt a warmth bloom in his chest that for once overrode the niggling in his brain informing him with ever-increasing certainty that this was all just temporary.

He didn't fucking care anymore how long it was going to last.

He just wanted to savor every moment that it did.

**Notes:**

**1. **Yeah, I lied about the real plot being introduced in this chapter. That was the original plan but then I got a lot of people asking for some Zoro/Law and well…this happened instead.

**2. **Um, I hope you enjoyed? And as always, please feel free to leave a comment or review if you feel so inclined, they're great motivation for me when I'm writing!


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 9/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3378  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Up to chapter 773.

**Chapter Nine**

"It's a treasure map."

Nami's eyes were shining in the way they only got when she got really, really excited about something. Nine times out of ten that 'something' had to do with money, and apparently this time was no different, if the rolled up piece of paper she slapped on the table the next morning was any indication.

"Awesome! Is it meat?" Luffy asked, shooting his arm over to grab it and whining when Nami snatched the map up before he could make off with it.

"_No," _she said firmly, tucking it under her arm. "According to the locals, the neighboring island used to harbor a thriving community, mainly because they had a lot of jewel mines there. A few years back the town suddenly mass deserted for some reason and a lot of the old inhabitants came to live on Zou, although nobody seems quite sure why everything shut down over there seemingly overnight. Anyway, there's still a chance to find rare gems in the mountains, and apparently once word got out that it's full of caverns and half-dug tunnels, pirates have been stowing their loot there in the hopes that nobody will find it," she explained. "From what the shopkeeper told me, this was left behind by one of the pirate crews after their supply run, and nobody from here wants to go back over there because a lot of the mine shafts are unstable now and digging around more might trigger a collapse. I figure it's worth it if there's treasure, though!" she added, smiling a little maniacally.

"B-b-but if nobody here's going, then that means it's too dangerous…" Usopp started, but his words trailed off into silence at the look Nami gave him.

"What kind of pirates would we be if we avoided something because it _might _be dangerous?" she pointed out, and eventually he nodded and scratched at the end of his long nose. "Good. We'll go tomorrow to check things out, and if it _does _look like there's no chance of getting in without the tunnels caving in on us, we'll look for a way around it," she decided, and Sanji smiled to himself. Nami might love treasure, but she wasn't going to put them in mortal danger over it.

"I'll go back into town today and see if I can find a local historian, or at least somebody that knows a bit more about why the town was abandoned," Robin spoke up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "If most of the inhabitants are living here now, there must be somebody with at least a bit of knowledge about the incident."

Nami smiled at her, obviously appreciating that somebody was outright taking her side, and Sanji knew that if the two girls were in the rest of them would eventually follow. Still, that meant he probably would have to stay up late preparing picnic lunches for everybody, so that likely meant another night of minimal sleep.

Oh, well. He was pretty much used to it by now.

"Right, we'll leave in the morning," Nami decided, looking to Luffy, who shrugged and then started picking his nose, so he evidently had no objections.

Everybody dispersed after that, leaving the galley empty save for Sanji cleaning up the breakfast plates and Law sitting at the bar, once again poring over the newspaper.

"What are you even looking for in there?" Sanji asked, since it had been a morning ritual for him every day since leaving Dressrosa, and Law looked up from his reading.

"News on Doflamingo's fate, first of all…I know he's alive, because his heart's still beating, but it would be nice to know _where _he is so I can stop being so on-edge about it," he admitted with a shrug. "And, probably more importantly, whether my Warlord status has been revoked yet. I don't doubt Fujitora has more important things to do at the moment what with everything on Dressrosa and Doflamingo himself, but at the same time I'm still anticipating it soon, and I'll have to start being a lot more careful once my bounty's been unfrozen," he explained.

He had a point, Sanji thought, but he'd never had to worry that much about his own bounty…yeah, sometimes they ran into assholes like they had before Dressrosa who figured out who he was, but his identity was pretty well-hidden considering his wanted posters were always horrible.

"What were you worth, anyway?" he honestly hadn't paid that much attention even though he'd probably seen one of Law's wanted posters somewhere.

"440," Law said, as if it were nothing, even though Sanji choked on the tea he was drinking. "And I'm sure it'll go up considering what happened on Dressrosa and that it was fairly well-known I was part of it," he sighed, seemingly not noticing Sanji's attempts to stop what was bound to be a rather large coughing fit.

"Holy _shit, _man, what did you _do?" _Sanji managed to squeak, thumping his chest to get himself back under control. That was bigger than _Luffy's _bounty and he'd been in the middle of a war that the entirety of the World Government had seen, so for Law's to be bigger than that…

"100 pirate hearts in a chest, remember?" Law had a rather sadistic grin on his face.

"But I mean…they were still…"

"Yes, of course," Law waved his real hand. "But the people I delivered them to hardly knew that my ability doesn't actually harm the person I use it on. All most of the Marines know is that I like to chop people into tiny pieces, so they fear me despite the fact that most of my attacks are painless."

"_Speaking _of pain," Sanji cleared his throat and took another sip of tea. "How do you feel after last night?"

"A little sore, but that's to be expected. Zoro certainly didn't take it easy on me," he grimaced and shifted on the hard barstool. "It's manageable enough, though, and it's not as if he did anything that would cause lasting damage."

"Good," Sanji set his mug down and rounded the bar, slinging his arm over Law's shoulders and resting his cheek against the surgeon's hair. Law's arm came to wrap around his waist automatically, even as he kept reading the paper, and Sanji thought about how fucking d_omestic_ they were.

It was nice, though. Maybe not what he ever would have expected from Law, necessarily, but the type of casual intimacy they'd grown into always made him feel warm inside.

"Hey, bros!"

Sanji knew it was too late to move because Franky would have noticed, and while he and Brook were the only people on the crew that Sanji wasn't sure knew exactly what sort of relationship he and Law had, at this point it didn't really pay to keep it secret any longer.

"I take it you broke in that arm last night?" Franky waggled his eyebrows suggestively at them and Sanji groaned, resting his chin on Law's head. "Look, no judgment from me, but I'm kinda bummed I'm like the last one to know," he looked directly at Sanji, lifting up his sunglasses, and Sanji wasn't sure what to say to that.

"I…I mean…"

"I told him," Law said in a quiet, guilty voice. "When he and I were working out the details for my arm. I do trust all of you by now, you realize, and I couldn't speak with you directly…"

"Of course you could have," Sanji cut him off, because while he wasn't really _angry _about it, it still rankled a little. "There was no fucking reason you couldn't have come to me…no offense, Franky," he added, because that hadn't come out sounding all that good.

"None taken, bro," Franky assured him, looking a little uncomfortable to be caught in the middle of some sort of lovers' quarrel. "But seriously, the skeleton and I kinda heard you way back in that Inn before Dressrosa, so it didn't blow my mind or anything."

Sanji buried his nose in Law's hair this time, groaning, because apparently the whole damn hotel had heard them and even if he wasn't ashamed of it, he wasn't any sort of exhibitionist and knowing that most of the crew had heard him in the middle of sex (and of course it would be him, since Law was damn near silent) was embarrassing just on principle.

"But yes, the arm," Law said quickly. "It seems to be in perfect working order, Mr. Robo. Thank you."

"No problem, man! Glad you like it," Franky thumped him on the back. "If it starts getting creaky or anything just peel the skin off and oil the joints, but since you don't have any _super _weapons built into it or anything it shouldn't give you too much trouble," he assured the surgeon.

"Again, I do appreciate it more than I can say…"

"Yeah, sex is probably _super _tricky with one arm, huh?" Franky was teasing again and Sanji, still not bothering to look up from his view of Law's hair, reached a hand out to flip him off. "Yeah, yeah. I'm happy for you, dudes," the cyborg promised before Sanji could hear his footsteps receding, and he sighed heavily before finally lifting his head.

"I do apologize for not coming to you," Law spoke in a tone that was utterly serious. "I wasn't in my right mind and I had…built up a false worry in my head that for some reason missing a limb would be enough for you to reject me entirely. It was foolish, and entirely unfair to you because I know you care about more than what's merely on the surface."

"Nah, don't beat yourself up about it," Sanji mumbled. "I know you were going through shit and I don't actually blame you for not telling me. I just…need you to know that you can talk to me about whatever from here on out. Okay?"

"I do know," Law promised, turning and lifting his chin in an obvious invitation. Sanji bent to kiss him, lingering a little to let the older man know he truly held no resentment toward him, and when he pulled back Law was smiling gently at him.

"Good," Sanji ruffled his hair on the way by, getting a resigned sigh in response. He knew Law would still keep some secrets, of course, because that was just how Law was…but maybe by now he'd learned that Sanji, at least, wasn't going to judge him for them.

000

"Can we talk to you?"

"Yeah. What's up?" Sanji leaned against the railing, letting the wind ruffle his hair as he lit a cigarette. Law's crew had cornered him as he'd left the galley…well, at least, the three members of Law's crew that Sanji figured were closest to the man himself. He'd talked to Shachi and Penguin enough by now, and while he still wasn't _quite _sure what Bepo _was, _the polar bear was fiercely loyal to Law and that made him alright in Sanji's books.

"You're behind the tattoos, right?" Penguin asked without preamble, and in a way that implied he already knew the answer.

"Yeah," Sanji didn't see a reason to lie about that of all things. "What about them?"

"It's just…" Shachi started, crossing his arms, "it's not even something _we _thought of, and we've known the Cap for years. He must really trust you," he sounded unsure if he should be prying that much, but Sanji _had _wondered if Law had even told his crew half the things he'd told Sanji about his past. This kind of confirmed that he hadn't, at least not in any great detail, and Sanji wasn't sure how to respond because he didn't want to come off as sounding smug about having as much of Law's trust as he did.

"Um," he knew that was probably the worst answer he could have given, but he was kind of drawing a blank being put on the spot like that. "I mean, he…"

"Do you love him?" Penguin interrupted, and Sanji balked again without knowing why. It should have been so easy now to answer that question truthfully, but his first reaction was always to hesitate.

Well, time to fucking man up, he decided.

"Yeah. I really do," he promised, blowing out some smoke and crossing his legs at the ankle, trying to look relaxed and self-assured.

He wasn't sure how they would react to that, but both Penguin and Shachi grinned at him and Bepo's ears wiggled a little.

"Good," Shachi nodded, reaching out to pat Sanji's shoulder. "I mean, I know the Cap's probably not the _easiest _guy to love, but it's what he needs more than anything. All of us know that he's a pretty nice guy despite everything, but he's still putting up a sort of front around us and I think if he has somebody he can completely bare himself to…that's a good thing."

"We all want Captain to be happy," Bepo put in, "but I don't know why he'd pick you over any of us," he shuffled forward, black nose snuffling like he was trying to _smell _why Sanji was somehow different.

Penguin and Shachi suddenly developed an extreme simultaneous case of loud coughing, probably because Bepo apparently had no idea exactly what was going on, and Sanji tried not to react because he did like the polar bear even if he sometimes seemed a little too innocent

"What?" Bepo looked at both of them.

"Ah, don't worry about it, Bepo," Penguin clapped the bear on his shoulder. "Just be happy the Cap's not wandering around scowling or refusing to come out of his room. He's done that," he said, the last part directed at Sanji, and Sanji could easily believe that.

Law sulked like a five-year-old, after all.

"Yeah, well, I'll kick his ass if he tries either of those, don't worry," Sanji grinned, and Bepo's mouth fell open as he gazed at the cook in obvious amazement.

"Yeah, it's love, if he'll let you do that without cutting you in half," Shachi returned his smile. "I guess we don't need to threaten you with treating him right, huh?"

Sanji had been expecting that the entire time, so he shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets, cigarette still dangling from between his lips. "You can if you want to, but I'm not gonna do anything to hurt him."

"Are you bothering Sanji again?"

"Captain!" All three of the Heart Pirates turned, Penguin and Shachi grimacing and Bepo merely grinning at Law's appearance and running over to hug him. Sanji didn't miss the way Law nuzzled his nose into Bepo's fur, or how tightly his fingers, both real and mechanical, clutched at the polar bear.

He seemed to remember he was supposed to be annoyed a moment later and stepped away, clearing his throat. "It's not enough you're making him cook for all of you? I assure you, you don't have to threaten him on my behalf," he stepped beside Sanji and crossed his arms, glowering, and Sanji rolled his eyes and elbowed the other man in the side. "But I do appreciate the gesture," Law muttered from between gritted teeth, though Sanji knew he was secretly happy that his crew actually _did _like him enough to do something like that.

"I just don't get why it can't be one of us," Bepo whined a little, looking utterly dejected, and Law glanced over at Sanji and raised an eyebrow in a way that made Sanji a little nervous.

He wasn't _entirely _surprised when Law's metal arm clamped around his waist and dipped him back a little, free hand grabbing the knot on his tie and lips firmly planted over the cook's own. Sanji wrapped one arm around Law's waist, the other hand fisting in his hair, and gave back as good as he was getting.

Fuck, he didn't think Law was any sort of exhibitionist, but if this was how he chose to get his message across…well, Sanji wasn't going to complain.

Their mouths separated with a fairly audible 'smack', Law giving him a feral grin before hoisting him upright, and when he turned to look at Law's crew again Penguin and Shachi were obviously blushing and Bepo's mouth was hanging open.

"As you can see, Bepo, my relationship with Sanji is quite different from the one I share with any of you," Law's voice was entirely calm, no shame in his posture, and somehow he wasn't even a little out of breath.

"…oh," Bepo looked at his feet. "Okay."

The polar bear was obviously feeling down, and Sanji could tell neither Penguin nor Shachi seemed to know how to react to that display. Law frowned, thinking, before he straightened up to his full height.

"However, the three of you have all been with me for an exceptionally long while, and I think it's far past time that I explain at least a little of what's been going on to you. If you're willing to listen," his voice was a little shaky, a little unsure, but Sanji was proud of him. He was still convinced that nobody would ever get Law's full life story the way he had (although he was _also _convinced that even he didn't know everything), but that he was willing to open himself up to more people, that he _trusted _more people enough to do so, was undoubtedly progress.

"Yeah," Penguin grinned, Shachi nodding furiously. "We'll, um, meet you in your parlor. C'mon, Bepo," the man tugged on the bear's sleeve and Bepo, after a last long look at Law, followed them over to the submarine.

"So I guess I pass their test, huh?" Sanji mentioned.

"I knew you would. They already like you because you feed them," Law's hand lingered in the small of his back, warm through his thin dress shirt. "But even if they didn't, it wouldn't affect my feelings. And besides…" he glanced up toward the sky, the smile on his face entirely wistful now. "The one person whose opinion I care most about…he's already given his blessing."

"Yeah, by setting me on fire and landing me on my ass," Sanji rubbed his tailbone absently. Even though Law seemed convinced it was a good sign, he still thought it sent somewhat of a mixed message.

"Yes, well, he always did lack a certain…grace," Law noted. "Ironic that his ability was so useful in performing espionage considering…" he stopped, blinking, and shook his head.

So. There was some solid confirmation that Sanji _definitely_ didn't know everything yet.

"Anyway, don't leave them waiting too long," Sanji stepped away and Law nodded, walking across the deck.

Sanji watched him hop to the submarine and disappear into the doorway there, and his only warning of somebody else approaching was a slight sigh of warm breath against his ear before two strong arms wrapped around his waist.

"You two were putting on quite the show there," Zoro growled, nipping at his ear, and Sanji leaned back against the swordsman's body. "So his crew knows?"

"Yeah. Franky told us today that he and Brook do, too," he added, and Zoro grunted. "Why? Feeling left out? Like you're my dirty little secret?" he teased, tilting his head obligingly when the other man's lips moved to the long line of his neck.

"Nah. It doesn't change anything, and honestly, they're all gonna have a much harder time believing we're doing it than you and Law," he snickered.

"We'll have to tell them eventually…at least, the rest of our crew," Sanji pointed out. "They're gonna find out sooner or later anyway since it's not like there's a lot of places for us to sneak off to on the Sunny."

"Yeah, well, I choose later," Zoro decided, pulling away from Sanji when they heard the door to the men's bunk room slam open.

Usopp looked confused when he passed them, his eyes darting from one to the other before he disappeared in the direction of the library.

"Think he can handle it?" Zoro asked, and Sanji nodded slowly after pondering it for a few seconds. Usopp probably would have been next on the list anyway.

"Yeah. Let's tell him."

**Notes:**

**1.** I apologize for the wait on this chapter; I normally write on weekends and I had a bunch of assignments due at the same time so I had to delay working on this until those were completed. I don't have a whole lot else to say about this chapter, but I'm very glad (most?) of you enjoyed the Zoro/Law scene in the last chapter, and now we've started getting into the actual plot of this thing!


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 10/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 4044  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Up to chapter 773.

**Chapter Ten**

"I think we broke him."

Usopp was indeed looking a little broken, already wide eyes even wider as he stared straight ahead, strange clicking noises coming from his throat like he was attempting to speak and failing horribly.

"Hey, long-nose, say something," Sanji snapped his fingers and Usopp's whole body jerked like he'd been hit with an electric shock. He blinked at both of them, noticeably swallowing before he squeaked, "_What?"_

"Don't make us explain it again," Zoro huffed and Usopp frowned.

"I heard you, I just…all three of you?" he clarified, and Sanji nodded. "I mean, you and Law, yeah, but you and Zoro…you're always trying to kill each other, and I don't think I've even seen Zoro and Law _talk _to each other."

"Yeah, we've kind of kept it pretty quiet," Zoro admitted, crossing his arms and leaning against the desk in the library. "All of you guys know about Law and the Cook now anyway, so we figured that was enough to begin with."

"Okay," Usopp sighed, glancing down at the book he was holding and then shaking his head. He placed it back on the shelf, seemingly engrossed in searching through the remainder of the books there (apparently Usopp had developed _quite _a taste for history…or, more than likely, he was trying to buy time).

"That's it? 'Okay?'" Zoro narrowed his eye and Usopp turned back.

"What do you want me to say, Zoro? It's none of my business anyway, so I don't think it's my place to make any sort of comment or…or judgment. You're all my friends…well, Law _might_ be…he didn't kill me when I hugged him…but…" he trailed off and pursed his lips.

"I know it sucks," Sanji knew by now why Usopp was acting so strange, and he also knew that it had nothing to do with the fact that they were all men or that they had some sort of poly relationship going on. "But we're not gonna, like, rub it in your face or anything. You love that girl, right?"

"Yeah," Usopp nodded, looking surprised. "Of course I do! The great Captain Usopp will return to Syrup Village a hero of the high seas, acclaimed Sniper of the Pirate King himself, and reunite with the fair maiden Kaya," he crossed his arms and stood up to his full height, puffing his chest out. "B-but that might not be for _years."_

"It'll make it more rewarding when it happens," Sanji promised, pulling the younger man into a hug. "And she'd be a fool not to have waited for you the same way you're waiting for her. I might not have met her, but I can see right through your lies by now, and the way you talk about her…I know it's real."

"Yeah, she was pretty taken even back then, and look at you now," Zoro added, Usopp stammering and blushing for an entirely different reason this time as he stepped out of Sanji's embrace and sniffed.

"I know. Thanks," he half-smiled, but he seemed a little more at peace. "I'm glad you guys have…whatever you have."

"So're we," Zoro grunted, and despite his rather nonchalant tone Sanji knew that he was.

Usopp went back to browsing through the books then so Sanji took it as their cue to leave, pulling Zoro out with him and shutting the door gently behind him.

000

"So what do we know?" Nami stepped off onto the abandoned island, looking around furtively. It was a barren place, the beach where they'd landed sparse with scrub-grass and soft sand dunes. A lone seagull squawked, running along the surf line, but from what Sanji could see there weren't even any trees to break the bleakness of the landscape.

They'd decided to send a small party out, especially since none of them could tell exactly how dangerous the abandoned mine tunnels and shafts would be. That meant Luffy had to stay behind, which the captain was _not _happy about, but Sanji had left him enough food to satisfy even his ravenous appetite and hopefully it would keep him occupied for the next few hours. Usopp and Chopper had _happily _volunteered to stay with him, to the surprise of nobody, so they were also back at the ship. Franky was doing repairs since they'd taken some damage both from being caught between Doflamingo and Fujitora and from the skirmish before fleeing Big Mom, and Brook had been pretty much ordered by Nami to guard Luffy in case he decided to follow them.

So that left four of them, which was a good enough scouting group…well, four of them and Law, who had assured Nami that he wouldn't be trying to steal any treasure she happened to find, but Sanji was glad he was there. If they had any trouble in the caves, both he and Robin stood the best chance of getting them out of it because of their respective powers, after all.

"From what the town elders tell me, this place was abandoned about fifteen years ago. Apparently the original purpose of the mines wasn't to find jewels, although that was a pleasant bonus, but nobody could tell me exactly _what _they'd been mining for in the first place," Robin explained, settling her sunglasses over her eyes. "Most people from the village here came to Zou, so there should be enough that remember directly from having worked in the mines, but it seems to be a tightly-kept secret…or, at least, not one freely given to outsiders. The area history books aren't of any more help," she looked disappointed. "I suppose I could always find a way into the mayor's office…"

"That's fine, Robin!" Nami assured her, although the archaeologist looked more than ready to go and do it. "We're just interested in the jewels and the pirate hoards anyway, so whatever it was, it's probably not important."

Robin didn't say anything, merely shrugging her shoulders and starting up the still-visible path from the beach that led past the dunes.

The going was easy, even though it was obvious nobody had traveled this way for several years. The beach grass had grown up, spreading over what at one point had probably been a well-worn trail, but the winds and harsh conditions on the open beach meant that the path itself remained relatively easy to navigate since any sand built up on it would be blown away eventually.

It took them about twenty minutes to get past the last of the dunes, and the sight of the town surprised all of them when it suddenly appeared in front of them, situated near the bottom slopes of a sizeable hill. It was a strategic spot, protected from the harshest ocean storms by being in the shadow of the dunes. The buildings were still relatively intact, although there were signs that the place had been abandoned in a rush: tattered strips of bleached-white fabric still dangled from clotheslines, doors flapped open in the wind as if their owners couldn't be bothered to even close their homes properly, various household items laid scattered in yards, everything from piles of wood to stuffed animals.

Sanji bent down to pick up a glittering object, half-buried in sand that had bypassed the dunes and blown into the town. It was a necklace, the once-bright metal tarnished with age and the elements, but it looked as if it would have fetched a pretty penny if it were still in mint condition. He paused before slipping it into his pocket, not really sure why except it felt wrong to leave it there any longer than it had been.

It might have meant a lot to someone, once.

"This is creepy," Nami shivered, rubbing her arms. "I mean, Zou is literally a ten-minute boat ride away! Why didn't they come back for their stuff?"

It was a good question, especially since at first glance it didn't look like the town had sustained any harm past what the normal wear and tear of the passing years would produce: no evidence of burned buildings, no damage that would indicate some sort of pirate raid, _nothing _except that it literally did look like one day everybody in town decided to leave as quickly as possible, never to return.

"It's unnatural," Robin murmured, using an extra hand to pick up a teddy bear, missing an eye and with stuffing spilling out of a ripped seam on its back. "I've seen a destroyed island, and this…"

"No, the buildings in this town haven't undergone any sort of attack or, from the looks of it, even the type of damage that a strong hurricane would produce," Law had a haunted look in his eyes, his grip on Kikoku tight and his gaze darting around furtively. "Even if this had been a prompted evacuation, it's unlikely any attacker would have dispersed without razing the place to the ground. That's what…" he stopped and shook his head, trudging through the sand to peer into an abandoned house.

"Torao?" Nami asked quietly, watching as Law leaned back against the house and sighed.

"Forgive me. This is bringing up rather unpleasant memories, as I'm sure Miss Nico can also understand," he gave them a thin smile. "She and I have a fair bit in common, you see: her being the sole survivor from Ohara and myself from Flevance."

Robin gasped, her eyes widening as the hand holding the stuffed toy winked out of existence, letting the bear fall to the ground with a soft 'whumph.' Sanji had rarely seen Robin shocked, but she looked it now. "You…"

"I knew you of all people would know the history. They even gave me a name, same as you," he sneered now. "Although 'Demon Child' is a least a tad more humanizing than 'White Monster,'" he abruptly turned on his heel and stalked off, and Sanji was nearly floored by the dark aura he was projecting.

He'd never gotten _this _angry when talking about his past: melancholy, yes, but perhaps being in a situation that reminded him of his own city had set him off in a different way.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm the only one in the dark here?" Nami asked, her tone indicating that this had better change, and soon.

They started walking again, not wanting Law to get too far ahead, and Robin explained what she'd read about Flevance and the amber lead syndrome. Sanji half-listened, letting Robin's even tone wash over him, but when she said that the disease was contagious he cleared his throat.

"It wasn't."

"Hmm?"

"The government...they lied about that so they wouldn't have to look for some sort of cure. Everybody thinks it was because that way the…killing all of those people would be understandable, but they just…they just murdered them," he stopped, his own voice shaking a little because even though he'd heard the story a few times by now the _idea _of the government that was supposed to protect them slaughtering an entire country of innocent people over…over _nothing _was terrifying.

"Sanji's right," Law looked over his shoulder, making his way back over. "It was a poisoning, not a disease, and only contracted through extensive exposure to the substance…unfortunately, any children born to parents who had been exposed ended up with a higher concentration of the poison. Eventually the population would have died out since no children would ever have reached the age of majority. My father was attempting to find some sort of antidote when…" he paused. "It doesn't matter. Needless to say, there's just me left, and without my fruit I wouldn't be here, either."

Sanji looked over at Nami and Robin, trying to see their reactions to the news. Robin was frowning, tapping her chin thoughtfully, and Nami's eyes were suspiciously wet.

"Law, I…"

"It hardly matters, now, but since I know you're all rather unsympathetic toward the government anyway it's probably information you'll be able to use in some way," he said firmly, and Sanji knew exactly what he was doing: covering up the fact that he'd just opened up to even more people by passing it off as doing it for the sake of information.

He _was _opening up little by little, first to his own crew and now to Nami and Robin, and that was something Sanji was extremely proud of him for.

"So," Zoro broke in. "'White Monster,' huh?"

"Yes, I'm quite happy that name never stuck. I much prefer 'Surgeon of Death' when it comes down to it…it's got a nicer ring," he grinned, turning his back to the town again. "But come, I think that's the entrance we've been looking for," he pointed to a small wooden structure near the base of the hill, a large black cavern behind it.

"Hmm," Nami pulled out the map, unfurling it and glancing between it and the cavern entrance. "It looks like it. It's hard to tell if there's any other entrances, but at least we can see what the mine tunnels look like," she decided, rolling the map up again and starting toward the mouth of the cave. Robin followed quickly, Zoro glancing back at Sanji before he too made his way up the path.

Sanji stepped up beside Law, reaching out slowly and pressing his fingertips against Law's shoulder-blade, letting him know he was there.

"I didn't think it would hit me this hard," Law said, his voice the barest whisper. "It shouldn't…there's nothing about this place that's like Flevance at all…all the people from here are still alive, but for some reason…"

Sanji sighed, moving his arm to wrap around Law's waist and leaning against him. He didn't know what to say, even though he kind of understood being triggered by something that seemingly had no relation to the source of any actual trauma. There was nothing the same about being stuck on a rock and being hugged by somebody, after all, but he'd _felt _the same that day when Law hadn't been able to move his metal arm away fast enough.

Law pressed his nose into Sanji's hair, not making any move that indicated he didn't want the comfort although he didn't really do much to show he _did, _either. "It's been so long and I had assumed it was all in my past, but lately it's like it keeps coming back to remind me and I don't…"

"_Hey," _Sanji cut him off, unable to bear listening to the utter frustration and growing despair in Law's voice. "It's okay. It's never going to go away completely, and every once in a while it's probably going to hit you harder than you ever thought possible, but you can't let it break you down."

"I know," Law straightened up, his expression set even though his smile was tight. "Well, we'd better follow them," he strode off, just like always acting as if he hadn't been on the verge of breaking down.

Zoro was waiting by the entrance, leaning back against the wall and watching them impassively. He clapped Law on the shoulder as he passed and Law nodded to him, disappearing into the cavern. It was dark inside so he probably wouldn't go far, and Sanji noticed with some relief that Zoro had thought to keep one of their two lanterns for himself (the other, presumably, was with the girls, since they'd certainly need some light). Sanji bent down, lighting the candle inside and watching it flare to life before he stuffed his lighter back into his pocket.

"How is he?"

"He'll be okay," Sanji decided, because Law was the most fucking resilient person he'd ever met and after what he'd been through Sanji didn't think this would beat him. "I guess I should expect it by now but it's still so damn irritating that I can never tell if he _wants _comfort or if he's going to lash out."

"I don't think he ever would at you," Zoro said honestly, and Sanji shrugged his shoulders. "I'm serious, Cook. I mean, he's never gonna hurt you. He looks at you like you're the fucking sun or something and I don't know how you don't see it."

"I've told you," Sanji growled, glancing into the darkness of the mine. "He's not sentimental enough to ever put so much faith in one person, and me especially," he frowned, because he'd assumed by now that _Zoro _would know how uncomfortable talking about things like that made him.

"Why are you so convinced it's gonna end?" Zoro asked, and Sanji glared at him even though they both knew that was the root of everything.

"Because it _is. _This alliance is temporary, and Law's crew isn't gonna fucking follow us all the way to the One Piece. One way or another, it's gonna end," he stopped, swallowing, and Zoro wrapped him in a hug that he returned without hesitation.

He never would have expected Zoro to be more tactile than Law…or, well, he kind of thought they'd be the same in that regard, but while Law was still so touch and go when it came to certain aspects of physical contact, Zoro had no hesitation anymore and Sanji was grateful for it.

That was the difference, he thought absently, laying his cheek against Zoro's broad shoulder and closing his eyes. Sometimes he and Zoro wanted affection without needing to ask for it, but it was always welcomed. With Law it was often a toss-up as to whether he'd accept it or whether he'd shut down entirely, and Sanji had thought by now they'd be long past that.

He realized with a start that they'd actually been well on the way, because the last few days Law had been so…relaxed, and open, and completely free with his affections, but today it was like they'd gone back in time and while Sanji was sure it was just from his past coming back to haunt him, he hoped it didn't mean they'd have to start all over.

Fuck, how did things just keep getting _more _confusing?

…not that it mattered, really, because of that giant ticking time bomb hanging over them counting down to some unknown date. Whether Zoro would admit it or not, he knew it was there just as well as Sanji did.

"Are you coming?" Law sounded bored, scuffing the toe of his boot on the sandy floor.

Sanji pulled away from Zoro, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he strode past Law. He turned the first corner and stopped, the light from the entrance already fading, trying to tell which way the girls had gone. He could still pick up low voices from behind him, the echoing nature of the caverns making them carry more than normal.

"Look, I know this is tough," Zoro was saying, his voice soft enough that Sanji _knew _he shouldn't eavesdrop but dammit, it was about him, so he was going to. "But you're so hot and cold that he doesn't know what to think, and no matter what shit you've gone through it doesn't excuse acting like he's some sort of burden you only tolerate when you feel like it."

"I apologize," Law's voice was just as quiet, but it was completely void of any audible emotion. "That's not my intent and I trust you recognize that by now. I feel…very uneasy here and I shouldn't be closing off to any of you because of it, but it's a natural instinct for me after so long."

"I'm not the one you should be telling that to."

There were heavy footsteps then and Sanji tried to look casual as they rounded the corner. He didn't need Law to apologize, really, and he _especially _didn't need Zoro to constantly be defending him, even though he always would. Somewhere along the way that particular trait had become endearing instead of annoying, though, so he wasn't about to complain.

"Sanji, I…"

"I know," Sanji waved off the apology. "It's fine. I just wish by now you'd have learned that you don't have to deal with any of this alone."

"A few weeks isn't going to undo fifteen years of doing so, Sanji," he murmured. "But I'm trying."

"Hey!" Nami stuck her head around the corner, smiling when she saw all of them. "Come on! Robin thinks she's figured out where the map leads!"

The three of them followed, the tunnel opening up into a large cavern that had several different paths leading away from it.

"Here," Robin had the map on the ground, a hand popping out from beside it to point to what looked like little more than a circle with lines running into it. "This is where we are, I presume, and this is the treasure," her fingers tapped the marked 'X' at the end of one of the thin lines. "There's five lines drawn here and five paths, including the one we came from. Assuming there's only one entrance, that would place the treasure…" she paused, pointing to the second tunnel from the right facing them. "That way."

"Treasure!" Nami jumped up in the air excitedly before snagging one of the lanterns and rushing off toward the tunnel, but a few seconds later they all heard an exasperated groan and followed her to see that barely twenty feet down the path a large cave-in had completely blocked the passage.

"Well. That's going to be a problem," Robin glanced up, but the rocks were piled as high as the ceiling and there was no telling how big the slide had been.

"_No," _Nami sank to her knees, glaring at the rocks as if the force of her anger alone would be enough to move them.

"There's no sense trying to get through….I'm sure Miss Nico and I could manage it, but if the hillside is already this unstable I fear what trying to disturb it further will do," Law pointed out rationally.

"There may be another way," Robin suggested. "Some of the tunnels might intersect later on, but I think that should be saved for a day when all of us are here so we can cover more ground."

"Yeah. I guess. At least we know the place isn't a total wreck," Nami got to her feet, looking dejected.

"I'm sure we'll find a way, Nami-swan!" Sanji crowed, because of course he had to cheer her up, and she gave him a tiny smile.

"I hope so. At least we can get _something _out of being stuck here until Kaido makes some sort of move," she got to her feet, brushing off the knees of her jeans and causing a light-grey powder to flutter to the ground.

"What's that?" Zoro bent down, moving the lantern closer. "That doesn't look like sand, and it's too fine to be dust from the rocks."

"Hmm?" Nami rubs her fingers together, watching some more of it fall to the floor. "Probably nothing. It's not going to help us, anyway. Come on, let's go explore the town a little more…maybe there's a map of the mines somewhere…" she wandered away, Robin following with her lantern.

Law dug a small vial out of his coat, bending down and scooping some of the powder into it. He was frowning, eyes narrowed as he examined the substance, even though to Sanji it didn't look all that suspicious.

"What is it?"

"I don't know, but I've got a rather strange feeling about it. I'll take it back and see if Mr. Tony and I can identify it, but it looks to me like some sort of mineral," he tucked it back into his coat. "Shall we? If there's a map in town, perhaps there's more information about what the purpose of these mines were, as well. If we can find what passed for their town hall or records office, we might be in luck."

"Yeah," Sanji agreed, waiting until Zoro had taken the lantern and starting to head out of the cave.

It took longer than usual, of course, because Zoro chose the wrong path about three times even when Sanji stood right in front of him and pointed at the right one, but eventually they made it out into the glaring sunlight and headed back down the road toward the abandoned town.

**Notes:**

**1. **I realize that there was a lot of plot in this chapter, but it's necessary to set up what's to come. I hope it was enjoyable to read regardless :)

**2. **As always, thank you all so much for reading, and do feel free to leave me a review or comment if you feel so inclined! I appreciate them immensely!


	11. Chapter 11

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 11/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3807  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Up to chapter 773.

**Other Notes: **This chapter contains some description of a panic attack, so proceed with caution if that affects you.

**Chapter Eleven**

They didn't find anything in the town.

Robin eventually discovered the town hall but while there were plenty of books still in the library, nothing they could find held either a detailed map of the entire mine system _or _any sort of report as to what was being mined.

That was extremely suspicious, especially since whatever they got from the mines would have had to have gone _somewhere, _so there should have been export records, sales records, _something _to indicate an exchange of money and goods, but the utter lack of it could only mean it had been deliberately removed.

The town leaving personal items behind but taking the time to destroy certain pieces of paper just smacked of something strange going on, Sanji knew, and he reached unconsciously into his pocket to tighten his fingers around the cool metal of the necklace.

By mid-afternoon they still hadn't found anything worth looking at, and Sanji knew if they didn't get back to the ship soon he wouldn't have enough time to cook dinner (the food he'd left for Luffy would have run out by now anyway). Nobody seemed opposed to leaving, however, and Sanji could tell Law wanted to try and get that mineral powder identified.

He'd been a little…off since they left the cavern, more withdrawn than normal, and Sanji had a feeling that he had some idea of what the substance was even if he wasn't voicing that aloud. He didn't speak a word as they headed back to Zou, and once they'd gotten back onto the _Sunny _all he did was pick Chopper up by the back of his jacket and head into the medical lab with the reindeer dangling from his mechanical hand, asking rapid-fire questions that Law wasn't bothering to answer.

"Well, so much for 'trying' to not be a total bastard," Zoro grunted. Sanji nudged him in the side, causing Zoro to turn to him. "Hey! I'm trying to _defend _you, Cook, so if…"

"I know," Sanji promised. "And I appreciate it, but I've got a bad feeling about whatever he found in that mine," he shivered even though the air was warm, rubbing his arms. "Look, you know I'm not the type of guy to take shit from anybody, so if he keeps that stick up his ass for too long I'll kick it out for him," he grinned, and Zoro snorted and wrapped an arm around his shoulders after a quick glance around showed they were alone.

"You really don't care about reputations, do you?" he asked, and Sanji leaned against him and shrugged.

"Nah. I care about people being decent. I don't think any sort of status gives you the right to be a bastard," he replied. Back at the Baratie, it didn't matter if you were a peasant or a King, if you acted up you got kicked out and that's definitely something he'd carried with him. "Didn't think you did, either."

"I don't really," Zoro replied with a shrug. "I mean, if somebody's got a justified reputation as a fighter I might respect them more for it, but it doesn't mean I'm gonna let them get away with treating people like shit."

"_Sanjiiiiiii! I'm out of fooooooood!"_

Sanji pulled away from Zoro and prepared himself for the impending Luffy-assault, knowing that there was no way he'd get out of it now that the Captain knew they were back.

Oh, well. He needed to start dinner anyway.

000

Law and Chopper didn't show their faces during dinner except for the reindeer to totter in and request two plates of food to take back to the lab because they 'couldn't stop right now.'

Sanji debated sending Law nothing but a plate of bread but he wasn't _that _cruel, and again, he knew Law wouldn't be acting this way unless it was something important.

The man himself finally showed up just as Sanji was finishing the dishes, his shoulders hunched as he trudged into the galley and settled himself on the bench behind the table. He was glowering at nothing, hair mussed, and if people actually _could _walk around with thunderclouds over their heads he would probably have a giant one at the moment.

"No luck?" Sanji guessed, because he'd learned by now that if there was one thing that annoyed Law more than anything else, it was not getting the answers he wanted.

"Not especially. We found a couple of compounds that are similar, but nothing that seems to be a direct match. I can't stop feeling like I'm _missing _something, but…" he sighed and flopped forward onto the table.

"You'll figure it out," Sanji wasn't even trying to be falsely reassuring. Law was stubborn enough that he _wouldn't _stop until he found an exact match, after all.

"I'm sorry again for how I behaved earlier…"

"I told you, it's fine," Sanji promised, leaning against the counter and draping his dishtowel over his forearm. "I get it, and I'm not so insecure that I'm gonna assume I've done something wrong every time you close off."

"Still, Zoro's right in that…"

"Torao! Torao, I think I found it!"

Law's head snapped up when Chopper trotted into the galley, a book nearly bigger than he was in his hooves. He jumped onto the bench beside Law and dropped it on the table, gesturing excitedly. "It's not an exact match, but it's similar enough that it has to be from the same family. I've never really heard of _amber _lead before, but…"

And Sanji literally felt time screech to a halt.

"_No," _Law whispered, all of the color draining from his face as his eyes widened.

"No, see, the compounds are…" Chopper had mistaken his 'no' for one of disagreement instead of disbelief and kept chattering away, oblivious to what Law had actually meant.

Law moved then, scrambling away from the table, and the look in his eyes was honestly frightening. They looked almost feral, flashing gold, but they were unfocused and Sanji knew that whatever he was seeing right now, it wasn't the inside of the galley.

He stumbled over to the corner of the room, nearly tripping over his own feet like he'd forgotten how to walk properly, and pulled his knees to his chest, burying his face against them. He was repeating the word 'no' like some sort of mantra, like saying it enough would somehow make it less true. Sanji felt a stab of pain go through his own body because the force of Law's despair was so powerful it was suffocating even from across the room.

"Torao? Hey! Are you okay?" Chopper started toward Law, concerned, and Sanji shook himself out of his own stupor to grab the reindeer before he could reach the man. The way Law was now, there wasn't any proof he wouldn't lash out, especially if he was trapped in the memory of a day when the only other living people around him were enemies.

"I think you'd better go, Chopper," Sanji murmured, carrying the little doctor to the door.

"What's wrong with Torao?" he demanded (and dammit, why did _all _of his crewmates have to be so irritatingly stubborn?).

"He'll be okay," Sanji tried to sound as reassuring as possible. "Amber lead is…he's had bad experiences with it," he didn't want to say too much, especially since Law was still reluctant to open up to many people and Sanji was pretty sure he wouldn't want any of them that knew telling stories on his behalf. "If that's what it is, this is bad, Chopper."

"What can we do?" Chopper had tears in his eyes and Sanji reached to pat him on the head, trying to figure that out for himself.

"First I'm gonna calm him down, and then tomorrow I think we're gonna have to talk to some people in town to find out _exactly _what the deal with the mines was. Can you check if we've got any more information on amber lead in the library?" he asked, because giving Chopper something to do would at least distract him from feeling guilty over the state Law was in now. "Just…don't believe anything you read about it being contagious, okay?"

Chopper looked confused at that but eventually, he nodded and sniffed, blue nose twitching. "Yeah. Okay," he opened his mouth as if to say something else but closed it after a few seconds and shook his head, giving Sanji a tiny smile before he headed off toward the library.

Sanji leaned against the doorframe and sighed, running his hand over his eyes and trying to prepare himself for what was to come.

He had no idea how bad Law was, and while he knew enough about panic attacks to hopefully alleviate them, if Law was so far gone he didn't even recognize him they were going to have a problem.

Still, leaving him alone was the worst thing, so Sanji walked over to where Law was still curled up, shaking and muttering and damn near gasping for breath.

Shit.

He made sure to make his approach known, letting his shoes knock loudly on the floor and causing Law to lift his head, but there was no awareness in his gaze. "No," he whimpered, lifting a hand. "No, she said…she said the ships would save us, she…"

"Law, she's not here," Sanji said, as firmly as he could, trying to think of Law as just a…a customer or something, and not a guy he was in love with because that side of him just wanted to wrap his arms around Law and never let go, but that would be the worst thing he could possibly do. He wouldn't touch him, not until Law made it clear that he wanted it.

"N-no," Law laughed, but it was a harsh, ugly sound, his teeth bared as he growled. "No. Dead. All dead. Blood on the white snow, so much…" he trailed off, letting out a sound that was too much like a sob.

"Law, there's no blood. Nobody's dead," Sanji said, keeping his voice as calm as possible. The last thing Law needed right now was to know how close to freaking out Sanji _himself _was, after all. "You're safe."

"No," Law cut him off, but that was all he said before he seemed to slip into some sort of stupor, eyes unblinking and barely even breathing.

"Law. Law, hey," Sanji stomped the heel of his boot on the wooden planks of the galley floor, but even that didn't get any reaction. "_Fuck," _he snarled to himself, fingers reaching for a cigarette and lighting it before he'd even considered that it might not be a good idea to do so.

Law's head lifted a little as the smoke drifted over him, and he blinked slowly. "C-Cora-san?" he asked, his voice sounding extremely young.

Well. Okay, then. Sanji could work with that.

"No," he said slowly, kneeling down and forcing Law to look at him by staying in his line of vision. "It's me. Sanji. You're in the galley of the Thousand Sunny," he kept his eyes locked with the surgeon's, and eventually the tiniest flicker of recognition flashed through them.

"Sanji?"

"Yeah," Sanji sighed, relieved, but he was feeling about as emotionally drained as Law looked after that one. "Yeah, it's me. You scared me."

"What?" Law narrowed his eyes, uncurling his body. "Why am I…_shit. _The mines. Amber lead," he recited quickly, and Sanji nodded. "Why am I…"

"You had a panic attack," Sanji replied. "You flashed back to…to your childhood, I think, and when I started smoking you thought I was Corazon," he was betting that Law didn't remember _any _of that, and it was probably for the best.

Law bit his lip, something defeated in his gaze that told Sanji he somehow thought himself weak for it.

"Hey," Sanji tried to keep him in the moment, because Law had _nothing _to feel ashamed for although the cook doubted he saw it that way. "You're gonna be fine."

"I do know the symptoms of a panic attack and how to deal with them, Sanji," Law replied dryly, and Sanji smiled, because if Law was back to being able to use sarcasm he'd be okay. "It's much harder to recall them in the moment, though."

"You fucking scared me, you asshole," Sanji moved so he was sitting beside Law, not touching him but close enough to feel the heat of his body.

"I'm really tired of my past sneaking up on me all the time," Law replied, and he sounded like he was, his voice void of emotion. "I'm just _tired."_

"I know," Sanji shifted closer still, sliding his arm around Law's back and not being all that surprised when Law damn near clambered into his lap, nosing against his neck. "I love you," he said, because he didn't know what else to say, but it seemed like Law needed a reminder of that more than anything.

"I know. I don't know _why_ half the time, and I'm quite sure I don't deserve it, but I know," he let his head rest against Sanji's shoulder, heaving a sigh. "Thank you for helping me through that."

"I'd say 'anytime' but it wasn't exactly _fun, _so try not to do it again," Sanji was pretty sure now that Law had at least come to terms about the whole amber lead mine thing he wouldn't regress _quite _that badly again, at least. He was still a little on-edge, his senses more finely-tuned than normal, and sitting against the kitchen wall wasn't the best place to relax.

"I'm okay now," Law promised, and Sanji believed he was for the moment.

Still, it was obvious they were both still a little shaken, and Sanji kind of just wanted to draw a hot bath and let the water wash the weight of the day away.

Hopefully Law wouldn't object, because he really didn't want to let the older man out of his sight right now, but either Law was having similar thoughts or else he was deciding to placate Sanji because his suggestion was met with remarkably little resistance.

000

"You know how much trust I'm putting in you, right?" Law was fairly boneless in his arms, which Sanji attributed half to how exhausted he had to have been and half because the bathwater was fairly high and even though Law seemingly had a much higher tolerance than Luffy for dealing with water or seastone, it would still be affecting him.

"I'm not gonna let you drown in the bath, idiot," Sanji chuckled, leaning his head back on the rim of the tub and inhaling deeply.

He'd used some of Nami's bath oils, something that on the bottle said was for 'relaxation', and it seemed to be doing the trick. The air smelled pleasant, herbal and fresh, steam from the hot water wafting around them.

Even the sound of the door opening barely made them flinch, but Sanji knew it was Zoro before he'd even bothered to look.

"Hey. Chopper told me," Zoro said quietly, and it was obvious he'd just come from training. He was shirtless, muscles glistening with a thin sheen of sweat, wearing only a pair of plain black pants and with a towel wrapped around the back of his neck. "You guys okay?"

"I believe we are now," Law's voice was slurred, but he looked at peace. Zoro moved closer, reaching out and cupping Law's cheek with his hand, and Law nuzzled against his palm. Sanji looked up in surprise because Zoro was just…_exuding _calmness so strongly that he was sure Law felt it, too. He knew Zoro had _some _measure of Observation Haki, but it wasn't nearly as strong as Sanji's and he didn't think it was a conscious move on Zoro's part.

Maybe it was because he was just so naturally calm compared to both Sanji and Law, but it seemed to be having a positive effect.

"So, what's the plan?" Sanji asked, feeling that Law might be docile enough to talk about it now without freaking out again. "I mean, if it's not exactly the same…"

"Well, not that I took a good look at the book, but I'm inclined to believe it's a less pure form of the same substance. Amber lead was only found in Flevance, and it was pure white, whereas the residue we found was most certainly grey. There's a chance it's a less potent form, which may mean symptoms will take longer to manifest, but the only way we'll know for sure is by talking to whoever took the time to destroy the records from the mining town," he shivered even though the water was steaming hot and Sanji hugged him more tightly. "It all adds up, though. The date of the mine closing coincides with the…attack on Flevance, and word of that spread around the world. No doubt the miners feared the same would happen to them if the government ever caught wind of what was coming out of the mine, so pretending it never existed was the easiest way to keep everybody safe."

"The skin thing, though," Zoro spoke up. "Wouldn't people around here get that, too?"

"It depends," Law replied. "It's possible it might take longer to manifest, especially if the mines hadn't been in operation long. Fifteen years is about the right amount of time for any children to start showing more severe exposure symptoms, though…" he frowned. "Regardless, I can't do much more than hypothesize right now. We need to speak to somebody with first-hand knowledge," he reiterated.

"Tomorrow," Sanji promised. "It's too late to do anything tonight, and from what you said, it's not like one night's gonna make any difference since it's a slow-acting poison, right?" he rubbed his hands down Law's arms, kissing the back of the other man's neck.

"Mm," Law's body went limp under his touch. "I'm not in much of a state to do anything at the moment regardless."

"You need to sleep," Sanji replied, yawning himself, and he knew that he needed the same thing. "And _you _need to get in here because if you were just working out you're going to fucking stink," he directed that at Zoro, who bristled a little but just as quickly stripped down and stepped into the other side of the tub, groaning as the hot water soothed his muscles.

"You'll come with me?" Law laced his fingers with Sanji's, laying his head on the blond's shoulder and staring up at him.

"Of course," Sanji nodded, because there was no way he was letting Law do this on his own.

"I'm coming, too," Zoro stated, kicking at Sanji's knee with his foot from across the tub. Sanji glowered at him for that although the look on Zoro's face was deadly serious. "Look, I don't know exactly what went on tonight, or back then, but from how fucking hard it's hitting you it had to have been bad and…I'm part of this thing, too. I want to be there," he added, sounding as if he was nervous by the end Law would refuse.

"You're more than welcome to, if you desire it," Law assured him, and Zoro grinned at that. "But I'm falling asleep, so perhaps I'd better," he tried to sit up, although he didn't make much progress so Sanji helped him to his feet. Once he was mostly out of the water he could move on his own, grabbing a towel and drying his body off quickly before he shrugged back into his clothes. "I'll…be in my room. If you two want…"

Sanji didn't even reply, he just stared at the surgeon (and he was pretty sure Zoro was doing the exact same thing). Eventually Law nodded, looking a little sheepish, and turned to leave the bathroom.

He'd barely shut the door behind him when Zoro was practically diving across the tub and flopping on top of Sanji, leaning in for a kiss. Sanji wrapped his arms around Zoro's shoulders and returned it eagerly, letting the swordsman's presence calm him even further.

"Is he really okay?" Zoro asked, keeping his eye locked with Sanji's, and the blond nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, he had a pretty bad panic attack so he's gonna be shaky for a while yet, but he's okay. This is just…"

"It's fucked up," Zoro grunted, cupping his cheeks and kissing him again. "But I'm starting to see just how damn broken he is, if he _still _thinks we're gonna leave him alone after all of that."

"It's like he said," Sanji shrugged. "He's spent so long being alone it's hard for him to get used to taking for granted that people are gonna be there."

Zoro sighed, but there wasn't much he could say to dispute that, and after another lingering kiss he pushed himself off of Sanji's body and stood up. Sanji watched him, admiring his body glistening with water droplets in the bright light of the bathroom, and followed him out of the tub a moment later after reaching to pull the plug.

000

By the time they got to Law's room the man in question was in bed, but his body was so tense Sanji knew he wasn't sleeping.

"I'm seriously gonna kick your ass if you tell me you were worried we wouldn't show," he undid the buttons of his shirt and slid it off, crawling in beside Law and trying to see his face in the dark room. His mouth was drawn into a tight line, eyes locked on the ceiling and the blanket pulled up to his chin like a child trying to hide from the monsters under his bed.

Well, Sanji thought as he brushed Law's hair back and tugged him closer, he _was _dealing with monsters of a sort, and tomorrow wasn't likely to be any easier for him emotionally.

"It's not the same," Zoro said as he got into the other side of the bed, and Law turned his head to slowly blink at him.

"What isn't?"

"Last time. You were alone, right?" Zoro didn't look like he expected an answer since he already knew it. "Well, this time you've got us, and we're not going anywhere."

"I think, Zoro, that you need to stop badgering about Sanji and myself being sappy because you're quite proficient in that department, too," Law's voice had a hint of his normal snarkiness in it and Zoro snorted, nudging the man with his elbow.

"Go to sleep, smartass," Zoro grumbled, getting a breathy laugh from Law, and it was a sound Sanji was more than happy to hear after the day they'd had.

Whatever the morning would bring, they'd get through it together, and he knew that all of them could take at least a little comfort in the thought.

**Notes:**

**1. **Cookies to all of you who guessed that it was am amber lead mine (or, well, close to it, at least)! I don't have a whole lot to say here other than thank you all again for continuing to read and comment on this fic :)


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 12/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3999  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Up to chapter 773.

**Chapter Twelve**

"Do what you will to me, _Warlord, _but you won't be gettin' any information outta me."

000

Yes, the plan to get some answers from the villagers was working spectacularly.

Spectacularly _badly, _at any rate, although Sanji had to guess they'd all kind of suspected that might happen. If the villagers were that concerned with keeping the information from the government, it stood to reason they wouldn't blab to a few random pirates…especially when one of those pirates was a government privateer, at least to their knowledge.

Law and Zoro had apparently gone for the 'if we scare them enough they'll talk' approach, with Law dressed in his high-collared coat, hat pulled down to shadow his eyes and Kikoku hefted high over his shoulder, and Zoro keeping his elbow resting on his katana, black bandana securely around his head. Sanji, of course, knew he could never be intimidating, but he _had _put on his best suit and dressed himself as impeccably as possible. It might not present the same image, but looking put-together and confident wasn't going to _ruin _the effect Zoro and Law were trying to achieve, he decided.

Still, while a threatening, 'take me to somebody who knows about the mines,' from Law had gotten them quickly directed to the Mayor's office, the man himself was seemingly a tougher nut to crack.

He looked like a miner, at least: broad shoulders, work-rough hands, and sporting a rather impressive beard and arm muscles that would even give Zoro a run for his money. He was stout, shorter than all of them, but Sanji had no doubt in a physical fight at least he and Law wouldn't stand a chance against him.

Mayor Zouge also seemed like a man who didn't take kindly to intimidation tactics, and his level for tolerating bullshit was at a level so low even Sanji was grudgingly impressed by it.

Most people in the face of Law and Zoro would probably prostate themselves on the ground, after all.

"I had hoped you'd be smart enough to do this the easy way," Law sighed rather dramatically, adjusting the brim of his hat and hefting his sword to his left shoulder. "For you see, it hardly matters if you willingly give up the information or if we have to force it out of you…and believe me, no matter how strong you may think you are, every man has a breaking point," he bared his teeth and Sanji tried not to step away from him, because this wasn't a side of Law he'd seen very often.

It was the side of him that came out when he was talking about Doflamingo, the side that was primal and vicious and willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted. It was such a far cry from who Sanji knew he was that it was hard to rationalize, but it was what had undoubtedly kept Law alive for this long.

"Don't try t' threaten me, ye government dog," Mayor Zouge spat on the carpet at Law's feet, and Sanji saw the almost imperceptible eyebrow twitch that meant Law was fast losing patience with the exchange. "Maybe that works on some people, but I'm not one t' be intimidated by a mere name…_Trafalgar Law_," he sneered.

And okay, it was obvious that this plan was a dud so Sanji decided it was time to step in since otherwise it would degenerate into a staring match and that would get them nowhere.

"I know it probably doesn't seem like it from the way these idiots barged in here, but we want to help," he said, standing his ground when the mayor turned to him with a glare. "Look, we're no friends of the government…hell, this ball of moss over here and I are plain old pirates, but we're not heartless bastards and we know what was in the mines," he added. Zouge frowned, at least Sanji assumed so since his beard twitched downward, but it was hard to tell under all of that facial hair what his mouth was doing.

"What d'ye know about the mines?" he finally asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Amber lead," Law spoke up, losing much of the dripping venom in his voice from earlier and reverting to his normal, much more pleasant tone. "Or something close enough that the properties are nearly identical. Judging from the lengths you've gone through to preserve secrecy, I'd wager the fate of Flevance is also well-documented here."

"What d'ye know about Flevance?" Zouge turned on Law now, and while Sanji wasn't sure if he was any closer to believing them, at the very least he wasn't denying everything outright any longer.

"It was my home," Law said, and with those four words Sanji could see the fight go out of the mayor and he suddenly looked…smaller, more withdrawn, as he sighed and crossed his arms. "I assure you, Mayor Zouge, that while I may be in the service of the government, that hardly means I'm on their side and, since they're the entire reason my family…my entire _country…_was slaughtered, I hold no love for most of them."

And Sanji breathed his own sigh, although his was purely of relief. He probably could have told both Law and Zoro that being honest was going to be more effective than being threatening, but it wasn't like either of them would have believed him until now.

"I believe ye, lad," Zouge eventually nodded. "But c'mon inside, it's a long tale and we may as well be comfortable," he gestured toward the inner rooms of the office, and the three of them followed him into what was a very comfortably appointed parlor, the walls lined with high bookshelves. Zouge settled himself in a plush armchair, leaving them to sit on the sofa facing him, and Law hesitated before laying down both his sword and his hat before seating himself on the couch and crossing his legs primly. Zoro likewise set his katana down and undid his bandana, and Sanji did a quick read of the room and sensed no sign of danger so relaxing probably wasn't unwise.

He took a seat beside Law, discreetly resting a hand on his back to offer whatever silent support he could.

"Can I get you boys anything? Coffee? Tea?"

It was amazing how much more hospitable Zouge was now that he seemed to believe they truly meant him no harm…or else he was trying to put them at ease, but he didn't seem shrewd enough for that and by now both the Strawhats and the Heart Pirates had been hanging around the town enough that the townspeople seemed to consider them harmless.

"Thank you, but no," Law spoke for all of them, of course. "Right now I'd truly like to hear this story of yours."

"Right. Now, the way I sees it, if ye'd have truly meant us harm, y'wouldn't've come here to talk to me…y'would've gone straight to the Marines and told them about the mine, so not doin' that already gets ye points in my book," he explained, and Sanji could see the logic in that. "So whatever I tell y'now, it's not gonna change that y' already know enough to damn us all."

"I promise you, Mayor Zouge, that I would not wish what happened to my family on my worst enemy…well," he amended with a shrug, "perhaps upon him, but not upon innocents."

Zouge nodded, leaning back in the chair and beginning to speak. "Well, yer right in guessin' that it wasn't amber lead…at least, not the pure form that was around Flevance. It was good enough for local pirates, though, and word spread pretty fast among them so we had a good thing going for a while…and any of 'em that tried to leave without payin' had to deal with me," he cracked his knuckles and Sanji grinned, because fifteen years ago Zouge would have been an even more formidable opponent. "Eventually we started hearin' rumors, o' course, about what the build-up of lead did to a body, because even though the world is big y' can't hide these sorts of things. The best doctor in our town sent a message to Flevance t' see if there was any truth to them, and whether we were all already screwed jus' by being around the damn stuff."

"Did you receive an answer?" Law pressed, and he nodded.

"Aye, for a few months they talked back 'n forth, but the messages from Flevance kept gettin' more 'n more cryptic until one day they just…stopped. A couple'a days after we got the last one, we got news of the country's destruction, and that sent us into a panic. Even though the government didn't know about us, we were all so damn certain they'd find out somehow and th' only way to survive was to concoct some cock 'n bull story the people here at Zou would believe…and the rest of the town, mind you…and evacuate the island immediately," he stopped speaking then, looking guilty.

"The town?" Zoro picked up on that, leaning forward. "You mean, you didn't tell them the truth?"

"Nay," Zouge shook his head sadly. "The doctor 'n I…and my wife…we were the only ones who knew the whole story. The rest of 'em…we told 'em that the messenger from Flevance said that the lead wasn't the same and wouldn't hurt 'em, but that it was best to be safe in case the government found out and didn't bother t' check before they attacked. They were spooked enough from hearin' about Flevance that they didn't think t' question it, and before we left we burned all of the records and maps and anything that would link us t' the mines," he spoke in a low voice, obviously still feeling ashamed for doing what they had. "We knew it was safe comin' here because it wasn't actually contagious, and I think most of 'em have probably forgotten that it's somethin' they should still be worried about."

"But you had to have known about the effects of the poisoning before all of that," Law noted, frowning. "So why didn't you leave sooner if you knew staying there was killing all of them?"

"Because we were greedy," the man replied, and Sanji had to at least admire him for being honest. "We figured that since nobody was showin' any symptoms yet, maybe it wasn't really the same stuff and it'd be safe…and the money was too good to pass up. Besides, it's been fifteen years, and so far nobody's…"

"That doesn't matter," Law cut him off sharply. "I looked at the properties of both and they're similar enough that, eventually, the symptoms will start appearing. If it hasn't happened yet, it's going to happen soon, and once it does it's only a matter of years before you die," his voice broke a little on the last word and Sanji pressed his hand harder against Law's back, trying to keep him grounded just by touch. "This doctor of yours…where I can I find him?"

"He's dead," Zouge replied quickly. "Natural causes, he was ancient even back then."

"The letters, then," Law pressed. "The letters from Flevance, do you still have them?"

"I think 've got one…I never looked at 'em, can't understand that medical jargon, but if y' wanna take a peek…" he stood up and headed to one of the bookshelves, taking out a folder and flipping through it before he pulled out a slightly-faded piece of folded paper and walked it over to Law.

Law took it and scanned it, one side of his mouth twitching almost imperceptibly, but Sanji knew that he'd seen _something _in the letter that was unexpected although he had no idea what it might be yet.

"And now I think y' owe me a bit of an explanation yerself, lad," Zouge took his seat again. "Because somehow yer still alive."

"Devil fruit," Law replied, smiling grimly. "And a good deal of luck, I fear. Regardless, my ability means that presently I'm probably the only person in the world who can actually cure amber lead poisoning, and I'd be willing to help those affected here…but it's not something I can do until symptoms become more prevalent," he explained, getting a suspicious look from Zouge.

"Funny, all 've heard about ye is that y' go around rippin' people's hearts from their bodies," he growled, and Law gave Sanji a rather pointed look before smirking.

"What, this?"

Sanji still flinched when Law fucking _reached into his chest _even though it didn't hurt, and staring at his heart in the other man's hand was kind of surreal (after all, the last time it had happened he was kind of delirious from blood loss, so this was a relatively new experience).

Zouge was staring between them with wide eyes, his mouth hanging open, and Law leaned back comfortably on the couch, Sanji's heart still clasped in his hand.

"Yes, I can do that," Law nodded. "But I'm also a trained doctor, and I was able to save myself by using my ability to cut the disease out of my body. It's very clean, there's no blood and no pain, and it's never affected me since."

Zouge still looked suspicious, and Sanji had to admit hearing it laid out like that _sounded _unbelievable…but he'd seen what Law could do, and he knew he wasn't bluffing. "Why would y' want to save us? Y' don't owe us nothin'," Zouge finally said, and Law had to nod.

"This is true. But I wasn't able to save my people, so perhaps I can assuage some of my survivor's guilt by saving yours," his voice was serious, but also utterly honest, and after staring directly into his eyes for a full minute Zouge nodded.

"Aye, lad, then I'll let ye do what y' will. If anybody's showin' symptoms of any sort 'm sure they're keepin' them quiet, but I'll try t' talk to everybody I know from the mines and see," he decided.

"How many do you think lived there?" Law asked, and the mayor stood up and stretched his arms over his head.

"Well, some of 'em were old and've died since, and some of 'em have had kids so 'm guessin' they'd be affected too…maybe a hundred? Little less?" he guessed, and Sanji saw Law's shoulders slump because that was a _lot _to deal with.

He knew using his ability for too long exhausted Law, after all, and with his fake arm it might well take longer since his fine motor skills probably weren't perfectly in-line yet. He'd gotten Sanji's heart out cleanly enough, but that was probably a much bigger object than whatever the signs of the disease would be.

"Right. Direct them to my sub if any of them are developing the patches on their skin," he stood and plunked his hat back onto his head, reaching to pick up Kikoku. "Thank you for the help."

And well, that certainly seemed like the end of the conversation, so Sanji stood up himself and straightened his tie, nodding to the mayor and walking toward the door with Zoro.

"May I keep the letter, or do you need it back?" Law asked, holding it out, but Zouge shook his head.

"Like I said 's useless t' me. Keep it, lad."

Law tucked it into his coat, pressing the palm of his real hand against it before turning on his heel.

"If I can ask, did y' know the doctor who wrote it?" Zouge's voice called after them, and Law turned to him with a wistful smile on his lips.

"I daresay I did," he murmured, a little sadly, before he visibly collected himself and walked away. Just before he crossed the threshold, he stopped and, resting his elbow on the doorframe, uttered one last sentence:

"He was my father."

000

"Are you going to give my heart back or…?"

Law stopped, shaking his head as if waking up from a deep sleep, and looked down to where he was still holding Sanji's heart in his metal hand. "Ah. Forgive me, I was distracted."

"Yeah, I get that, but I don't like having it out in the open," Sanji reached for it but Law moved his hand away. "I'm serious."

"I know. I kind of like having your heart in my hand," Law gave him a rather coy look and Sanji rolled his eyes while Zoro snorted. "Don't you trust me?"

"Law…" Sanji frowned, because Law should know the answer to that by now, but Sanji could see that he wanted some reassurance. "Just don't fucking drop it or something."

"Never," he promised, turning away from them both before he continued speaking. "And I…I don't mean to be rude, but I'd like some time to myself right now."

"Yeah. Whatever you need," Zoro replied immediately, and Law glanced over his shoulder and nodded. "We'll see you later."

"Right. I'll give this back to you then," Law brandished the heart before walking off in the direction of the ship, and Sanji crossed his arms and glared after him.

"You think it's okay to leave him alone?" Zoro slid an arm around his shoulders and Sanji leaned into him unconsciously.

"Yeah. He'll be fine," the blond decided. "At least, he's got my heart, so he'd better be."

"Okay," Zoro seemed to trust his judgment and rubbed his shoulder. "Wanna grab some lunch or something?"

"Like a date?" Sanji raised a curled brow and nudged Zoro in the stomach, and the swordsman ruffled his hair in retaliation.

"Like a date," he confirmed. Sanji grinned, glancing around quickly to make sure they were still alone before leaning to peck Zoro's lips quickly. "Yeah. So. I saw this little bistro down…um…" he turned around a few times, blinking, but luckily Sanji had already scouted out most of the good places to eat in town so he had a fairly decent idea of where Zoro was _trying _to take him.

"That way," he pointed, Zoro giving him a look that was half-guilty and half-grateful before they started off down the street.

000

It wasn't really a _surprise _to go into Law's room later and find him lying on his back on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling (Zoro had been roped into doing some repairs because, as Franky had put it, 'you're strong enough to lift a fucking house, bro, so it's up to you to help me'). Regardless, it was a position Sanji had seen him assume far too often over the last few days, and it scared him to think that it didn't even faze him anymore to see the surgeon so utterly detached.

Law flicked his eyes in Sanji's direction but made no other indication as to whether he wanted the other man to stay or go. He eventually pulled out the letter from inside his coat and set it on the bed beside him, which Sanji figured was as much of an invitation as he was going to get, and he picked it up and opened it cautiously.

_Doctor,_

_If the information you have provided to me is accurate, the properties of the two minerals are strikingly similar – enough so that I do believe that while the symptoms of the poisoning may take several more years to manifest, it is fairly inevitable that they will. _

_As to when, I cannot say, but I would expect that within twenty years – shorter for any children born to two parents who are infected. As I indicated in a previous message, every generation will start showing symptoms earlier in life to the point where children will not reach the age of maturity. _

_It has already happened here, I fear. My daughter had just passed her sixth birthday when the white patches began to appear, and at the rate she is fading I doubt she will live to see her ninth. My son, blessedly, is unaffected yet, but I fear any day that will change and he probably won't be around to see his teenage years. _

_My research toward a viable antidote is progressing but the government has been most unhelpful despite my continued affirmations that nobody outside of Flevance is at any risk of contracting the poison, and without proper funding and access to equipment there is not much more I can do. _

_I will let you know if there are any advances made on my end, and in the meantime I urge you to abandon the mines and move elsewhere. It may not stop the progression of the poison altogether, but it might buy you enough time that eventually a way can be found to counteract the poison. _

_All the best,_

_Dr. Trafalgar_

Sanji re-folded the letter and placed it on the dresser, unsure how to react. No, there wasn't anything new as far as information went, but knowing that Law's father had written it, that aside from the weathered picture it was the only physical keepsake Law had and he hadn't even known it existed until today…that was probably hard to process.

He debated for a while between giving Law his privacy and curling up with him, but Law thankfully took the decision out of his hands by rolling his head to the side and giving him a look that was so full of need that Sanji was moving before he realized it.

No, Law was still hardly the type to actually _voice _when he needed to lean on somebody, but in the moments when he lost his guard he was remarkably easy to read. Sanji stripped off his suit jacket, undoing his tie and kicking his shoes off before flopping beside Law and throwing an arm over his waist.

"Hey. How're you doing?"

"Okay," Law replied flatly. "I…I'm okay."

"Good," Sanji wasn't sure he believed him, but there wasn't much he could say to contradict it. "Can I have my heart back?"

"Yeah," Law dug it out from his coat pocket and shifted, gritting his teeth when the Room didn't materialize right away from his right hand and eventually sighing in resignation and sitting up so he could use his left. Sanji was almost used to the feeling now, the strange distortion when Law's hand reached _through _him, but when the Room dissipated he just looked irritated. "Fucking arm."

"Is that…I mean, is it going to get better?" Sanji asked, because even if Law had two hands, if he couldn't use his ability to its fullest potential that would seriously limit what he could do surgically.

"I'm not sure, and Mr. Robo told me he's never had to deal with replacing a limb that was integral to the ability of a Devil Fruit before. If it doesn't, I can still manage, since the only thing I seem to have any issue with is creating Rooms and I only need one hand to do that, but it's still annoying," he took the time to shrug his heavy coat off before flopping back, and this time Sanji didn't hesitate to cuddle as close as possible.

"You should come to the galley," Sanji said after a few minutes, patting Law's shoulder. "I'll make some tea or something and you can take your mind off of this for a while."

"I should," Law agreed, but instead of getting up right away he leaned over Sanji to kiss him, slow and careful and so full of a type of honest gratitude that he'd probably never be able to express in words. He stood up and crossed to the dresser, carefully placing the letter in the drawer with the photo of his family before straightening his back and giving Sanji a look that was at least a little closer to a smile. "Shall we?"

"Yeah," Sanji decided to leave his jacket and tie there, knowing he'd be back later, and followed Law out of the depths of the submarine and back into the bright afternoon sunlight.

**Notes:**

**1. **Yes, another chapter that was mostly plot-fueled, but I promise we'll get back to the smut soon! Also, naming OCs is always something I have problems with, but I eventually settled on the name 'Zouge' (roughly pronounced Zoh-geh) for the mayor because the word 'Zou' means elephant in Japanese and 'Zouge' is the word for ivory, so that was both similar to the name of the island itself as well as playing off of the elephant meaning :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 13/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 4667  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Up to chapter 773.

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Remind me never to do Franky 'one more little favor' again," Zoro shoved his way into the galley, covered in streaks of grease that had even gotten into his hair, the green tinged with smudges of grey and black.

"If you even _think _about touching any surface of this galley with any surface of your body before you clean up I will fucking _end _you," Sanji said calmly, eyebrow twitching as he tried to contain his annoyance.

He heard Zoro huff an annoyed breath and mumble something that didn't sound happy, but his footsteps seemed to recede and Sanji turned back to his food prep.

"Are you allergic to a little dirt, Cook?"

Sanji squeaked because Zoro was suddenly _right there, _chin on his shoulder and breath hot against his ear. For somebody with as much body mass as Zoro had, he could move with complete silence when he wanted to. "If you get any grease on my shirt I swear…"

"Don't worry," Zoro assured him. "I know how prissy you get about your clothes."

"Good," Sanji let him stay there, at least until he'd finished chopping the vegetables. Zoro's presence was something that was eternally comforting, after all, and even when Sanji was irritated with him it never seemed to last for long. "What did he make you do?"

"What _didn't _he make me do 's more like it," Zoro mumbled, pressing his lips against Sanji's neck. "He's pretty uptight about how everything should look…I mean, I know I'm like that with my katana, but there's a lot less of them to work on than an entire ship."

"You agreed," Sanji pointed out. "So don't expect any sympathy from me."

"Not looking for it," Zoro promised, his hands sliding to frame Sanji's hips. "But I _was _going to go take a shower, so I thought maybe if you were finished here…"

And oh. Okay. Sanji could see where this was going, although if Zoro thought that he could just…manhandle him into sex under the threat of getting a little dirty he had another thing coming.

"Taking a shower voluntarily even though you had a bath last night?" he asked, keeping his voice as neutral as possible. "Are you sure you're not ill?"

"Cut the crap, Cook. You wanna join me or not?"

Well, Sanji thought, Zoro was _trying _to be spontaneous and seductive, but of course his normal blunt nature had to shine through sooner rather than later.

"I've got some things to finish up here, but it'll take a while to wash all that grease off," he wrinkled his nose, because aside from his hands which he must have washed earlier, Zoro was pretty thoroughly covered in the stuff. "But then I'll be there," he smirked and Zoro grinned back, nodding.

"Okay. Be quick," he nearly jogged out of the kitchen and Sanji had to snicker to himself, even though he _did _fully intend on joining the other man.

…Eventually.

000

"You look comfortable."

"Mm," Law lifted his arm, beckoning Sanji closer. He was out on the lawn of the Thousand Sunny, leaning against Bepo who was apparently fast asleep, a large bubble growing and shrinking from his nose as he breathed. "C'mere."

"Is he gonna mind?" Sanji asked, pointing to the bear, and Law shook his head.

Well, Sanji figured, Bepo _did _seem to like him, so he'd take Law's word for it. Knowing Zoro he probably would have gotten lost a few times on the way to the shower so he still likely had a good ten minutes.

He settled himself beside Law, tucked under his real arm. "You're kind of ruining your reputation even more, y'know. Snuggling with a polar bear?" he teased and Law hummed, tracing his fingers down Sanji's arm.

"My reputation hardly matters where you're concerned. Any of you, at this point," he amended. "Where's Zoro?"

"Came into the galley and seemed to think threatening my clothes with grease was a good way to get me to join him in the shower," he snorted, and Law gave him a thin smile.

"You should go," the older man said after a few seconds of silence. "You two are…that is, you're still…"

"Don't," Sanji knew what Law was trying to do, and he wasn't in the mood for another of his frequent bouts of pity right now.

"I'm still tempor-"

Sanji decided to cut him off by kissing him that time, because it seemed to be a much more effective way of getting him to shut up. He straddled Law's lap, framing the other man's face with his hands and holding his jaw steady.

They were still out in the open, though, so he pulled back before they could get too carried away, keeping his hands in place so that Law was forced to look into his eyes.

"Get it through your thick head that I don't _care," _he hissed. "This could end tomorrow, or in a week, or a month, or…fuck, it doesn't _matter. _It doesn't change the way I feel, and I fucking _love you_, so stop doubting it," he was panting a little, chest heaving,, and Law wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him into a firm embrace.

"I don't," Law mumbled into his shoulder. "If you haven't run away by now I doubt anything else about me would scare you off."

"Yeah, you're not getting rid of me that easy, shitty surgeon," Sanji threaded his fingers through Law's hair, feeling the tension seep out of his body.

"I…I love you too, by the way," Law spoke the words haltingly, like they were foreign on his tongue, and Sanji realized that Law had never said it to him before. He'd implied it, yeah, but never so plainly, and it felt…good. "And I'm sorry I've been so difficult in the last couple of days. I know now there's nothing I can do for the miners and their families until symptoms start appearing, and at least this time I know how to deal with everything."

"You've been through fucking hell and back and it keeps getting worse, so I don't blame you for being kinda down," Sanji replied, still not releasing his hold on the other man. "But you've _really _gotta stop pulling away from me…or Zoro…because like you said, we're not gonna abandon you at this point."

"I thought it would end after Doflamingo was defeated," Law's voice was thick, his shoulders starting to tremble. "I thought that would be it, that I'd be _free, _and now this…this part of my past I'd thought was long gone is coming back to haunt me right after, it's like…fuck, Sanji, I just want to be _happy," _he snarled, his fingers clenched in the back of Sanji's shirt, and Sanji didn't know how to respond to that because there was nothing false about what Law had said.

Sanji held him, trying to keep him together by touch alone, but he could tell Law was far past the point that most normal humans would break at and that he hadn't yet, at least not fully, was hard to fathom. He hadn't known anybody that had gone through as much as Law had in such a short amount of time, so he was lost as to _what _he should do.

"You said that I make you happy," Sanji reminded him, trying to push past his own insecurities about meaning that much to somebody. This was more important than his lack of self-esteem right now. "I mean, obviously it's not gonna be _just _me, but…like Zoro said last night, things are different this time. You've got us, and your crew, and nobody's gonna let you fall, okay?" he wasn't sure how Law would respond, because if he thought Sanji was patronizing him in any way he'd shut down, but he didn't loosen his grip. "I want you to be happy, y'know."

"Yes, well, I'm sure I'm not much fun to be around when I'm like this, and that's hardly fair to you, either," Law moved back, rubbing his eyes with his real hand. "Fuck, I'm a mess," he leaned his head back against Bepo, who was still snoring quietly. "You should go, though, if you want to…"

"Yeah. You're gonna be okay?" Sanji wasn't feeling much like sex anymore, not really, but at least he could talk to Zoro since at the moment he was a little lost when it came to dealing with Law.

"Hey."

"Zoro?" Sanji looked behind him, seeing the man stalking across the deck. There was still water glistening on his bare chest, the tips of his wet hair dyed a mossy-green, and his cheeks looked flushed from more than just the heat of the bathroom. "I was going to come…"

" 's fine," Zoro shuffled his feet, staring down at the grass. "Luffy's in there."

"So…" Sanji paused, because if Zoro was wet that meant he'd already started when Luffy came in (and from the state of him, had also beaten a hasty retreat), but considering how horny Zoro had been in the galley, that meant…

He burst out laughing, because the thought of Luffy…_Luffy…_walking in on an obviously aroused Zoro was hilarious for too many reasons, not least of which was that Zoro himself seemed so mortified about it.

Sanji buried his face against Law's shoulder, still snickering, and he heard Zoro growl.

"It's not funny!"

"Please tell me he knew why your cock was hard and he didn't try to poke it or something," he knew Luffy wasn't _that _naïve when it came to sex, but for some reason the idea wasn't entirely unbelievable. He felt Law shiver again and had no idea why he was _still _upset before he realized that the man was shaking from a different emotion this time, trying to hold back his own quiet mirth.

"Oh, not you, too," Zoro groaned, and Law visibly collected himself before speaking.

"I apologze. My emotions are a bit messed up at the moment, but you do have to admit, the thought of Strawhat catching anybody in a compromising sexual position is…" he waved his hand vaguely and Sanji started laughing again.

"It's fine. I'd rather have you laughing," Zoro grumbled. "And yes, he knew what it meant, and he offered to leave me alone, but the mood was kinda killed already. It probably would've been better if he hadn't known; at least I could have made up something," he crossed his arms and eventually sat beside Law, waiting for his nod before he leaned back against Bepo as well.

"I guess it's a good thing I wasn't there yet or this could have been really bad," Sanji finally managed to get himself under control and looked up, but Zoro was smiling at him although his cheeks were still a little flushed. "Hey, at least Law's got a private shower, right?"

"You're presuming I'd let you use it for such things," Law murmured. Zoro reached over to grip the man's chin and kiss him rather firmly, pulling back after a few seconds. "Mm. Is that supposed to convince me?"

"Maybe," Zoro kissed him again, Law moving his arm from around Sanji's waist so he could trace his fingers down Zoro's cheek. "Is it working?"

"That remains to be seen," Law moved away slightly, but there was a rather mischievous look in his golden eyes that Sanji was only too happy to see after the past couple of days. "I don't see why you would _need _ a shower at this point, though, seeing as how you're…clean," he rested his hand on Zoro's chest and stroked his thumb over the rough skin of the massive scar there, Zoro shivering a little under the light touches.

"What're you saying?" Zoro narrowed his eye, leaning closer again.

"My shower is small compared to the ones you've got on this ship, but I'll gladly offer you my bed if you wish to…partake in intercourse," he smirked, and Sanji had the strange feeling there was something deeper to this conversation that he was completely missing.

They were doing that silent-talking thing again, eyes locked, and finally Zoro nodded and stood up. "You coming or not?" he looked at Sanji, who shrugged and got to his feet. Zoro turned around and headed for the rail so he could hop to the sub, Sanji about to follow when he noticed Law wasn't moving.

"You're…" he started, and Law shook his head.

"No. As…much as that interaction lifted my mood, I don't feel…" he wrapped his arms around his knees, resting his cheek against his legs and looking at Sanji. "Go."

"Come with," Sanji held out his hand, because he didn't want to leave Law alone. "Even if you just watch or something, I can say from experience that you'll enjoy yourself"

"Hmm," Law shrugged. "Will I have rules?"

"Just that, for the next however long this takes, you don't worry about anything else," he decided that would be enough. Law sighed and reached to take Sanji's hand, letting the blond pull him to his feet. "Is Bepo…"

"He'll probably sleep all afternoon," Law shrugged, although just then the bear sighed and yawned, mumbling something about ' 'm sorry, Cap'n' before rolling over and beginning to snore again. "Shall we?"

"Yeah," Sanji hopped over to the sub, trusting Law would follow, and made his way to the captain's quarters.

000

Not surprisingly, in the end, it didn't take much to stoke his arousal: the sight of Zoro's nude body lying on the white sheets when he entered the room, long and built and perfectly sculpted, cock hard and flushed and curving up toward his chiseled stomach, pretty much did the trick instantly.

"You're wearing too much," Zoro gave him that predator's grin, and Sanji stripped out of his suit as quickly as he could (while still taking the time to ensure all the pieces were laid flat and had no chance of wrinkling, partly because it was an expensive suit, dammit, and partly because he knew it would annoy Zoro).

He crossed to the bed then, squawking when Zoro's hand clamped around his wrist and pulled him down so they were pressed together, Zoro's cock nestled in against his hip. He wrapped his arms around Zoro's broad shoulders and kissed him, hard, lower bodies tangled together as he used his considerable leg strength to flip them so he was on top.

"Fucker," he muttered, bracing his hands on Zoro's chest and lifting his body up. "You really want this, huh?"

"Yeah," Zoro nodded so fast his earrings chimed together. Sanji wanted to draw this out a little because Zoro being _this _needy wasn't exactly a common occurrence, but at the same time…now that he was here, he wanted it pretty damn badly, too. "Can I…" he glanced at the bedside table where the bottle of oil was and Sanji nodded, sitting back on his haunches so Zoro could grab it.

He rolled over, giving Sanji a rather lovely view of his perfect ass, and his fingers had just closed around the bottle before he looked up and yelped, "holy _fuck, _where did _you _come from?"

Law shrugged, curled up in his desk chair and looking like some sort of death angel with his long black coat and almost vacant stare.

"Ignore me," he said vaguely. "Sanji said I could watch, but if you'd rather I didn't, I can…"

"Stay," Zoro spoke like he was talking to an easily-spooked animal. Law nodded, settling back in the chair, half in the shadows and barely noticeable at all. The swordsman snagged the oil and turned back over.

Sanji lay himself out on the bed, pulling Zoro over him and wrapping his legs around the other man's waist so his hips were raised. Zoro, it turned out, was a remarkably fast learner and even after only doing it a few times his fingers already moved with a steady, sure purpose as he prepped the other man, mouth latched onto his throat and free hand braced under Sanji's back to hold him up.

Sanji tipped his head back, hips undulating gently in time with Zoro's fingers. He gasped when they curled against his prostate, fingers digging into Zoro's shoulders and now-hard cock leaking pre-cum. "Fuck, Zoro, 'm good," he promised once Zoro was three fingers in and that was the first time Zoro showed any real urgency, removing his fingers and wiping his hand on the sheets.

"Okay," Sanji wasn't sure how they were going to do this, but when Zoro looked at him he felt such a surge of emotions pouring off of the other man that he physically flinched…not because he was _afraid, _but because it was _so much. _"Zoro?" he asked softly. "Are you…"

"Look," Zoro reached to settle his hands on the blond's shoulders, staring at him seriously. "I'm shit with words, Cook, you know that. But the last few days, with everything…you've been so fucking strong for him, and…" he sighed, breathing out slowly through his nose. "I don't know what this is, or what it means, but I know that I never want to lose it and that my life would be really shitty if you ever weren't in it. It's fucking terrifying, to be honest," he laughed sharply before regaining his composure and leveling Sanji with the most serious look he thought he'd ever seen from the man.

"So…" Sanji wasn't sure where this was coming from, because he _knew _Zoro loved him, even if the swordsman seemed incapable of saying the words.

"So I don't want to just fuck you right now," he mumbled, staring down at the blankets. "And it sounds so stupid and sappy, but…"

"What? Making love?" Sanji tilted the other man's chin up with a finger and raised an eyebrow, and the flush high on Zoro's cheeks told him what the other man wouldn't say in words. "So don't call it that. But tell me what you want to do," he said, keeping his voice as even as possible.

Zoro looked relieved that he'd been given an out, shifting so that he was sitting with his legs spread a little, crossed at the ankles. Sanji frowned, drawing his eyebrows together, but he could see how this would work…sort of. He hadn't expected Zoro to be quite _that _imaginative when it came to sex positions, and it would definitely be intimate, but that hardly bothered him any longer.

He nodded once to show Zoro he was fine with it and straddled Zoro's hips, feeling the other man's hands come to grip his ass and lower him carefully onto his cock. Sanji closed his eyes, breathing through it, because it didn't hurt but going in at this angle he always felt it a little more. He wrapped his legs around Zoro's waist, practically seated in his lap and almost eye-level with him,

"Okay?" Zoro asked, his voice a little unsteady, and Sanji kissed him in response, hands wrapped around the back of Zoro's neck. Zoro's own hands clamped on his ass, giving himself more leverage to move, and Sanji moaned against his lips at the first thrust.

Well, Zoro might not want to _call _it 'making love', but there was no fucking doubt that's what it was. The angle made it impossible to move too quickly, Zoro's hands guiding his hips even as the swordsman rocked his own to plunge as deep as he could. It was slow, and careful, even though it was so _intense _somehow that they were both already out of breath and sweat-slick, heated chests pressed together. Sanji shivered as Zoro's scar pressed against his own smooth skin, their kiss never breaking.

"You feel so good," Zoro mumbled, sliding one hand up Sanji's back and into his hair. Sanji nodded, leaning back a little so he could brace his hands on Zoro's thighs and give himself better leverage.

He could move his hips a little better from that angle, rotating his pelvis and feeling his cock slap against Zoro's abs with every thrust. He could feel his orgasm building, but unlike most times when it hit him with the force of a tsunami, this felt more like a wave lapping at the shore, rising and falling in intensity in a way that made his toes curl and heat start to bloom in his stomach.

He'd never considered sex like this before, not really. It had always been about chasing the endpoint, rushing toward a climax that would hopefully leave him fulfilled, but this time _everything _felt good, his nerves zinging with pleasure as Zoro claimed his mouth again.

He flinched when one of Zoro's hands wrapped around his cock, jerking him off in time with their hips, and knew that despite the slow pace he still wouldn't last much longer.

Zoro's hips were losing their rhythm, jerky and stuttering, and Sanji could tell he was trying to hold out as long as possible.

"It's okay," Sanji murmured softly, trying to keep his own movements steady. "It's okay, Zoro, I want you to."

It took a few more circles of his hips, Sanji pushing back against him and shuddering when Zoro's cock brushed his prostate on every thrust. When Zoro came Sanji kept his eyes on the other man's face, watching his eye slide half-closed and his mouth drop open, clutching at Sanji's skin like he was the only thing holding him together.

"Sanji…" he groaned, starting to jerk the blond off faster even as his hips pumped with aftershocks.

He was so close to the edge, so close that Zoro's fingertips against his skin felt like branding irons, every part of him over-sensitive and yearning for release. "Zoro…Zoro _please," _he gasped when Zoro kissed him again, tongue sliding into his mouth, and Sanji couldn't hold it anymore as he came with a muffled yell.

He swore his vision got a little fuzzy as Zoro worked him through it, milking every last drop from his cock. His arms wrapped around Zoro's shoulders then, holding his body as close as physically possible, and when he opened his eyes he caught a pair of golden ones staring back at him from the darkness.

Law's face was impassive, his position unchanged from when they'd started. He was hard to read at the best of times but right now Sanji couldn't tell _anything _about what he was thinking, and he jolted back to reality when Zoro kissed his shoulder.

"Was that okay?" he asked, sounding like he wasn't expecting a good answer. "I mean…"

"It was perfect," Sanji assured him, resting their foreheads together. "I guess I'd always thought when we got together things would be…like we are when we're fighting, but I kinda like this side of you, too."

"Yeah? Good," Zoro grinned. "We're still gonna do it the other way sometimes."

"Fuck yes we are," Sanji matched his smile and reached to brush his bangs out of his eyes. He lifted himself off of Zoro's cock, slumping onto his side on the bed and stretching out all of his limbs.

He felt pleasantly boneless, filled with a strange sort of inner peace that was only interrupted by the fact that he didn't know what Law had thought of all of that. When he rolled his head to the side he saw the other man had left his chair, silent as always.

"Law, I swear…"

"I'm not leaving," Law's voice was close and Sanji blinked his eyes open, seeing him hovering near the edge of the bed.

"D'you want us to get you off?" Zoro asked, propping himself up on an elbow. Law nodded once, jerkily, like he couldn't believe he was admitting to it. "Okay. Come on,"

Law stripped his clothes off methodically, albeit a little shakily, and it was easy to tell how aroused he was despite how controlled his outward appearance seemed. His cock sprung free of his jeans, erect and shiny with pre-cum, and Sanji was reminded again that he _really _needed to learn how to give a blowjob…but speaking of that…

"Lie back," he tugged on Law's wrist and got him to lean against the headboard, locking eyes with Zoro and seeing the swordsman grin. "You want it fast?"

Law nodded again, not speaking, but he let out a sound of pure relief and need when Sanji's mouth closed over his. His body stiffened then, and a quick glance down showed that Zoro had practically deep-throated him in one go, sucking rather enthusiastically.

"This okay?" he asked. Sanji could see Law's eyes widen and knew what he was experiencing because he wasn't sure he'd ever get used to Zoro carrying on a normal conversation with a cock halfway down his throat.

"Yes. Thank you," the fingers on Law's mechanical hand twitched, almost seeming involuntary as he hovered it over Zoro's head. "May I…"

"Yeah, go for it," Zoro shrugged as Law's fingers tightened in his hair, hips lifting off of the mattress. Sanji ducked his head to mouth at Law's neck, sliding down to the defined ridge of his collarbone. He traced his tongue along the lines of his chest tattoo, dipping to drag it over one of Law's flat nipples and watching the tiny bud harden under the friction.

Law whimpered a little, the sound cut off before it could fully form, but Sanji knew he had to be getting assaulted with sensations. He kept his mouth there, circling his tongue around one peaked nipple and bringing up his hand to rub his thumb over the other.

"Oh. Fuck," Law breathed out, one hand still tight in Zoro's hair and the other pressing against Sanji's shoulder. His chest was heaving under Sanji's mouth, breathing ragged. It only took a few more bobs of Zoro's head before he went rigid and came with a choked-off cry, body arching off the bed. He collapsed against the pillows, boneless, eyes half-closed and a dazed look on his face when Sanji looked up at him.

Zoro pulled off of Law's cock and smacked his lips a couple of times, stretching his arms over his head. "I'll be right back…"

"No, don't bother," Law waved his real hand idly, stopping to create a Room and getting a cloth from the bathroom over to them. "Here."

"Errand-boy," Sanji sing-songed, hearing Law snort. "Can you get my…" he hadn't even finished speaking before a cigarette and his lighter were in his hand. "Thanks."

He lit up, lifting his hips when Zoro went to clean him up a little, and he wasn't even all _that _surprised when Law motioned that he wanted the cigarette and took a long drag.

"So," he said once he'd blown the smoke out, curled against Sanji.

"So," Sanji repeated, skimming his hand down Law's side and back up again. "You seem better."

"I realized something, watching the two of you," Law looked over his shoulder as Zoro spooned him from behind, "and I know I've said it before, but I've never really been able to believe it. Life's far too short to dwell on what might have been, or to continue to regret what's in the past and can't be changed. This…this is real," he rubbed Sanji's hipbone with his thumb. "And whatever it is, it's _good. _It's time for me to stop fixating on what can never be changed and start focusing on what _can, _and it's _long_ past time for me to stop pushing people away for no valid reason. I can't promise I'll always be so positive about things, but…"

"You're trying. That's good enough for us," Zoro promised, nosing his shoulder. Sanji nodded, taking another drag and blowing some smoke rings into the air.

"Yeah. Let yourself be happy," Sanji added, seeing Law's shoulders relax and his eyes slide closed.

"Maybe…" he started, his voice breaking a little before he continued, and the next words out of his mouth were ones that Sanji had been waiting to hear:

"Maybe…this time…I finally can."

**Notes:**

**1. **I apologize for the wait on this chapter! For some reason my smut muse decided to take a vacation this week so the last part of this chapter just wasn't happening until tonight. It's a fairly long chapter, though, and goes through some rather significant emotional development where all of them are concerned, so I hope it was worth the wait!

**2. **As always, thank you for the comments and reviews on this fic!


	14. Chapter 14

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 14/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3492  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Up to chapter 773.

**Chapter Fourteen**

He probably could have stayed there all afternoon, splayed out on the bed and not caring about anything other than the fact that Law was _finally _allowing himself to not feel guilt for enjoying himself, but he _had _been prepping for dinner before Zoro had interrupted him the first time and he really needed to get back to it.

"Well, I need to go," he slowly disentangled himself from the mess of limbs that the bed had become and stretched, rubbing at his lower back. Zoro was fast asleep, flat on his back with his mouth open and snoring rather loudly (and fuck, it _must _be love, since Sanji even found _that _kind of adorable).

Law blinked slowly at him, motioning him back with a crooked finger, and Sanji let the older man draw him into a slow kiss.

"Mm, Law, I'm serious," he suddenly _really _didn't want to leave, because there was such a feeling of peace in the room at the moment that was far too rare where all three of them were concerned. "Unless you don't want food…"

"Go, then," Law wrapped his metal hand around the back of Sanji's neck, holding him close for a few more seconds. "We need to talk later."

"Yeah," Sanji had a feeling that was coming after what had happened earlier, but he wasn't exactly dreading it since Law seemed to be in a fairly good place at the moment. "Tonight, okay?"

Law bit his lower lip and nodded, lying back on the bed and hesitating for a breath or two before he turned and cuddled up to Zoro, the swordsman wrapping his arm around Law's shoulders even though by all appearances he was still fast asleep.

"I'll come call you when it's ready," Sanji said as he re-dressed, buttoning up his shirt and smoothing out the collar so he looked semi-presentable.

"Okay," Law had his eyes closed again so Sanji left him be, although part of him was a little nervous for their impending talk, because with Law one never quite knew what to expect.

Right now, though, he had other things to focus on.

…like dinner.

000

"Hey," he walked into the aquarium, wondering why Law had wanted to meet here instead of back in his room.

The surgeon looked up briefly before staring down at his metal hand and flexing his fingers. Franky had whisked him away after dinner to 'check on things,' as he'd put it, but by the time Sanji had finished cleaning up and doing the dishes they were done with whatever it was.

It didn't look different, anyway, but the way Law was frowning Franky must have done _something. _

"What's up?" he stuck his hands in his pockets casually, unlit cigarette clamped between his lips to cover his nerves, and settled himself beside Law on the long couch.

"I'm not even sure," Law admitted with a heavy sigh. "He said he…modified it, but near as I can tell nothing's different, and I've told him multiple times I don't want any additions to it," he grumbled, running his fingers along the fabric of the couch. "I'm half-tempted to see if I can re-work the nerves myself…I think all it would take it using the nerve endings that still exist and essentially fooling my brain into believing there's still a real arm attached to them, but that might take some time to do properly."

"Well, if anybody could figure it out, it's probably you," Sanji said honestly, because Law's fruit could do some amazing things but it wouldn't be half as useful if Law wasn't a fucking brilliant surgeon in his own right.

"We'll see," Law predictably shrugged off the compliment. He didn't look inclined to say anything else so Sanji figured that meant he had to take the lead.

"So, um, why did you want to meet here?"

"I thought it fitting since it was the location of our first…tryst," he noted.

"Not that it's really worth remembering," Sanji grunted, since that had been back when Law had been about as responsive as a rock. "But go on."

Law didn't reply verbally, instead patting his lap and giving Sanji a rather pointed look. Sanji lowered himself onto the bench and laid back on it so that his head was resting there, and although he doubted Law would have prompted him if this conversation was going to end badly, one never really knew with him. "You look tense."

"I'm not gonna lie, I half-expected you to tell me that after what Zoro and I did today you didn't want any part of this anymore," he figured being upfront about it was the best way to go about things.

"Would it be so strange if I did?" Law looked down at him and raised an eyebrow, and Sanji reached up to run his fingers lightly down Law's cheek. The other man grabbed his wrist, folding his real fingers over Sanji's and keeping his hand there. "It's about that, but perhaps amazingly, not because of my own doubts this time."

"That's a relief," Sanji nuzzled his nose against Law's soft t-shirt. "So what's this about, then?"

"What the two of you did…did you enjoy it?" Law asked quietly, and Sanji shrugged.

"Yeah. I mean…you couldn't tell?" he laughed, a little awkwardly, but Law had been staring at him the whole time, so…

"Of course I could. I had a rather excellent view of your face," Law was smirking and Sanji groaned and buried his face against Law's stomach. "Which leads me to my question, because I suppose I hadn't considered the possibility that you would…enjoy that sort of sex."

"I'm a romantic, Law, you know that," Sanji smiled. "I mean, not that it's something I'd want all the time, but like I told Zoro, once in a while…it does feel good to know that it's not _just _about the release," he moved back enough that he could peer up at Law's face through the fall of his hair.

Law was looking guilty, eyes narrowed and lips pursed into a thin line. "We've never…"

"No. We haven't," Sanji didn't see any reason to dispute that one, because for all Law had talked about 'no rules' when they'd started their arrangement, he always seemed to have a _ton _of them during the times the fooled around regardless. In fact, pretty much every time they'd been together there'd been some sort of power-play involved. It was all completely consensual, and it wasn't as if Sanji _didn't _like it, after all. In the afterglow Law had turned out to be a fucking massive cuddler, but during the sex itself that sort of careful intimacy had never really been part of it.

"Would…" Law sighed. "Would you ever consider it? With me? I didn't mean to go into this to have it turn into some sort of…control exercise, but you seem to enjoy that part of it, so…"

"Fuck, no, I do," Sanji promised, rolling onto his back so he could look up at Law properly. "It's really hot, but I think it's pretty stupid to act like there's only one way to have sex."

"It's the only way I've ever had it," Law's tone had gotten defensive.

"Me, too…until today," Sanji felt compelled to add, and part of him was still floored that _Zoro _of all people had come up with the idea. He'd be about the last person Sanji would ever imagine making love to _anybody, _but he'd been so earnest about it that Sanji knew he wasn't doing it _just _for the cook's sake. "And it was…there was just this…connection that I've never felt before, like we were just doing it because we wanted to be close and connected and not just because there was an orgasm at the end of it," he frowned, because his fumbling, stilted words weren't doing the emotions that had surged through him in those moments any sort of justice.

"I see," Law sounded impassive, and Sanji really couldn't tell how he felt about the concept. "But you didn't answer my question."

"Because you should fucking _know _the answer, shitty surgeon," Sanji finally pulled his hand away from under Law's and let it rest draped over his own waist. "I didn't think you'd want that, either."

"I didn't," Law said immediately. "I always thought it would make me weak to fall in love with somebody and freely admit it, but you've rather shattered all of my expectations in that department," he chuckled softly, starting to stroke Sanji's hair with his mechanical hand. His movements were still a little jerky, and deliberately careful, and while Sanji had noticed he still tended to use the hand as little as possible it certainly seemed to be functioning close to the level of a real hand.

"So next time we do it that way. No rules, no commands, just us," he smiled and Law eventually gave him a tiny smile in return. "I mean, if you want…"

"I do," Law said quickly, still moving his fingers, and he scratched at Sanji's scalp a little in a way that made the blond groan appreciatively.

He heard a 'click' then, barely audible over the bubbling of the fish tanks, but he nearly rolled off of Law's lap when the hand started _vibrating _and Law snatched it away.

"What the fuck?!" Sanji sat up, reaching to grab Law's wrist and examining the shaking appendage. "Is _that _Franky's…" he wracked his brain for a _reason _as to how this could _possibly _help Law, but the only thing he could come up with was…

Of course. Franky was a fucking pervert too, after all, and he probably thought it was funny since he knew about their…relationship.

"I'm gonna kill him," he decided, going to stand up until Law yanked him back down and smacked his hand against the back of the couch to get it to stop. "He's mocking us."

"Naturally," Law stared at his hand and flexed the fingers again. "Lie back down."

"Why, what're you…_oh," _Sanji realized where this was going when Law activated the vibration again and went back to giving him a scalp massage. He turned so that he was resting his chin on the other man's thigh, letting Law's fingers run down over his shoulders and the back of his neck and feeling the tension there release. "Mm, guess there's a medical benefit to it after all," he was pretty sure Franky hadn't thought of that, but he wasn't complaining.

"I'm tempted to use it for its intended purpose now just because I doubt he expects us to," Law's voice had dropped again and Sanji smiled up at him, happily blissed out under the affection. "With your consent, of course."

"I mean, not that I'd ever _considered _that before but…it would probably feel fucking amazing, so yeah," he let himself bask for a few more moments before pushing himself upright and pulling Law into a kiss, deliberate and slow. Law responded in kind, wrapping his arms around Sanji's waist and holding him there, and Sanji was reminded of how terrified he'd been the first time they'd made out just because they wanted to.

He still felt it, that clenching in his chest and that sensation of falling into something too deep to crawl out of anymore, but instead of terrifying him he wanted to soak up as much as possible to hold him over for when he wouldn't have it any longer.

He knew now that he and Zoro probably would probably be together for at least as long as they were sailing on the same ship, and maybe longer if things worked out, so the feelings he had for Zoro didn't really intimidate him any longer and after that afternoon there was really no question that Zoro felt the same as he did.

But he and Zoro could take care of themselves, and he was damn sure neither of them were dying before they reached their dreams. It was immensely reassuring, and he was kind of awed that he'd somehow managed to get Zoro to admit to things that only a couple of months ago he was sure he was insane for even contemplating.

Law, however, wasn't nearly as sure a thing, and maybe that made him more desperate when it came to stealing every moment he could with him, but as long as Law was eager to reciprocate he didn't think it was a _bad _thing.

Law broke the kiss, leaning in so that his lips were barely brushing Sanji's ear, and when he spoke his voice was low and rough. "I want to fucking tie you down and make you cum just by touching you with this," he slid his metal hand under Sanji's shirt and down into the back of his jeans. "Make you fucking _beg for it," _his voice was still so even, calm and measured though the words were undeniably filthy, and Sanji shivered and nodded against the other man's neck.

"You realize this is why we can't ever have, um, normal sex, right?" he asked with a tiny laugh, because he was trying to stop himself from getting hard again just from Law's words.

"Like you said," Law tapped his fingers against Sanji's lower back and the vibrations started again, making the blond yelp and clutch onto Law tighter. "There's more than one way to do things."

"Sanji-kun? Torao? Are you decent?"

"Nami-san," Sanji hissed, hopping off of Law's lap as quickly as he could and reflexively smoothing down the collar of his shirt as he sat beside the surgeon.

His face was probably flushed, but luckily the distorted blue light from the fish tanks should hide that. Law quickly stopped the hand from vibrating again and leaned back against the couch, looking perfectly composed.

"Of course we are, my dear!" he called, hoping his voice didn't sound too tight. "We wouldn't perform such lewd acts in a public area!"

"Robin tells me different," she stepped into view and smirked, and Sanji was reminded of the fact that Robin had found them out the very first time they'd done things together. "But I wanted to let you both know that we're planning on going back to the mines tomorrow. Robin talked to the mayor after you guys did and I guess somehow managed to get a map of the mines out of him, and it looks like there are other ways to get to where the treasure is besides the tunnel that collapsed," her eyes were shining again and she looked so radiant in the glow from the tanks, so excited, that Sanji was immediately excited right along with her.

"And you'd like us to accompany you again, is that it?" Law asked, getting a nod from her.

"Yeah. If we get into trouble you and Robin still have the best powers to help us out," she noted. "And I'll need you both to keep Zoro headed the right way, since he can be my pack-mule for any treasure we find," she winked and Sanji couldn't really dispute that point. "So get lots of rest tonight because we're not leaving until we find that treasure!"

She turned to leave, but before she even took a step her shoulders slumped a little and she looked back.

"Law? If you don't want to come, that's okay. I know it brought back some bad memories the last time," her voice was kind now, and Sanji was struck yet again that while Nami _could _be a little shallow and short-sighted when it came to money being involved, she was also incredibly caring and hated seeing anybody in pain and that side of her was coming out now.

"It's fine, Miss Nami," Law assured her with a tiny smile. "It was a shock last time because it was unexpected, certainly, but truth be told the town there bears no resemblance to my own and knowing what I'm walking into means I won't be caught off-guard again."

"Okay. If you're sure," she looked at Sanji then, eyes narrowing.

"Yes, my darling?" he asked, sitting up straighter. "Do you need anything?"

"I was going to ask if you'd make some coffee, but if you're too busy…" she sighed, pouting a little, and he was up on his feet in a second. He offered her his arm, feeling a tiny thrill when she took it immediately, and walked with her to the galley with the heavy steps from Law's boots following them all the way there.

000

"So, did you really like it?"

"I'm not one to lie about things if I don't, Marimo," Sanji glanced over his shoulder as Zoro stepped up behind him. The night was calm, tiny waves in the harbor barely even rocking the _Sunny, _and the sky was clear and bright with stars. He lit up a cigarette and turned back to the water, leaning his elbows on the rail and feeling Zoro's arms slide around his waist as the swordsman's chin came to rest on his shoulder.

"Okay. I really didn't know what I was doing," Zoro admitted, which Sanji had kind of figured. It had all been very spur-of-the-moment, but sometimes that sort of thing yielded the best results and this certainly seemed to be one of those instances.

"Well, your instincts were good," Sanji promised, leaning his weight back against Zoro's strong chest. "And trust me, if you do something I hate, I'll kick you."

"Yeah, I figured," Zoro chuckled in his ear. "I just thought…I mean, you and Law are really into that kinky shit, so I didn't know."

"As I told him earlier, it's possible to like more than one thing," he noted, blowing some smoke into the air before replacing the cigarette between his lips. "And it's not like we do that _all _the time," he added.

"You have every time I've been with you, pretty much," Zoro mumbled. "So when didn't you?"

"The first time," Sanji frowned, because that was about the closest he and Law had come to it, and that could hardly be counted since neither of their feelings were fully realized. "But you're not one to talk, y'know, since you were the one that said I looked hot tied up," he elbowed Zoro in the side and got a sharp laugh from him, though he didn't deny it.

"And now that he's got that vibrating hand thing…"

"He told you, huh?" Sanji grinned around the cigarette. "I dunno whether to kill Franky or buy him a fucking unlimited supply of cola," he paused then, thinking. "Why are you so concerned about what Law and I have done, anyway?"

"I'm not," Zoro said quickly…_much _too quickly for it to be true, "I just know that you guys love each other and I still don't get why that has to be part of it, I guess. If you like it, it's not really my business, but…" he kissed the side of Sanji's neck and the cook nodded because he'd kind of gotten that impression already.

"It's about trust," Sanji decided slowly, trying to find the right way to word it. He'd kind of explained it to Zoro that night, but since he'd been a little emotionally messed up and more than a little aroused it probably hadn't been that clear. "Law and I…we're both people that like being in control, especially him because for a lot of his life he hasn't been, but on the other hand we're also both people who have a hard time giving up control and to find somebody that understands that…I think we both latched onto it and kind of let ourselves run with it."

"Okay, yeah, I get that," Zoro didn't sound particularly convinced but Sanji was sure he understood the basic concepts. "I guess as long as both you guys are cool with it, it's fine," he said it in that tone that told Sanji he'd made his decision and nothing was likely to change his mind, and he was thankful at least this time it was the decision he'd hoped Zoro would come to. "I'm still having a hard time believing he _let _you tie him up, though…"

"Fuck, that was hot," Sanji groaned, because it _had _been. "But seriously, Marimo, stop worrying about me. I'll kick him too if he pisses me off," he pulled the cigarette from between his lips again so he could turn his head to kiss Zoro, letting his free hand trail through the other man's earrings and hearing them chime in the still night air.

"He'd let you," Zoro murmured against his lips before he dove in for a second kiss, and Sanji knew that he was right.

And maybe he'd always take a little bit of pride in the fact that, when it came to Law, he might be the only person in the entire world that could get away with something like that.

**Notes:**

**1.** I don't have a whole lot to say this time around, other than that I didn't get a whole lot of feedback on the last chapter so if you're still reading/enjoying, please feel free to leave a review or comment! It does inspire me to write faster and it's nice to know what exactly people are enjoying since just looking at the number of hits per chapter doesn't do much in the way of telling me _why _you're all still reading the updates! I do try to personally respond to every signed review :)

**2. **There is actually a bionic arm that exists now that can be controlled by the brain through the use of nerves that are still functioning, so that part of the chapter was taken from real life and I thought it was pretty amazing when I heard about it! Obviously the OP 'verse doesn't function on realism when it comes to some of their medical procedures and limb-replacement ideas, but I thought as a surgeon it would probably be something Law would look into.

**3. **Other than that, this probably wasn't a terribly exciting chapter, but it's been a while since I focused on their relationship(s) since the last few chapters have been rather plot-heavy and that will pick up again in the next update…


	15. Chapter 15

**Title:** Almost Easy  
><strong>Author: <strong>kikokus (AoiTsukikage)  
><strong>Rating:<strong> NC-17 overall  
><strong>CharactersPairing: **Zoro/Sanji, Law/Sanji, Law/Zoro/Sanji  
><strong>Chapter:<strong> 15/?  
><strong>Word Count:<strong> 3576  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Sequel to 'So Good So Far.' Everything was supposed to get easier after Dressrosa – at least, that's what Sanji had assumed. He was wrong. .  
><strong>Spoilers: <strong>Up to chapter 773.

**Chapter Fifteen**

In the end, they all went. Sanji had taken a look at the map that morning before they'd pulled the ship around to the adjacent island, and from that it seemed as if almost all of the tunnels intersected at some point and the quickest way to explore would be to send a team down each of them.

That meant four teams for the four tunnels, and Law had brought some of his crew along as well after promising Nami yet again that he wasn't interested in keeping any of the treasure for himself.

So his men were one crew, Robin had taken Franky and Brook down another tunnel, and Sanji and Law had already promised to keep Zoro in check. Nami looked a little disgruntled at being stuck not only with Luffy, who was probably the most likely to get into trouble, but also with Usopp and Chopper, who were the two most likely to turn tail and run at the slightest odd noise.

The thought of impending treasure must have made up her mind for her, though, because she grabbed Usopp by his overalls and hauled him off after Luffy, who was already halfway down the tunnel and exclaiming his wonder at the caves every few seconds in a voice loud enough that Sanji was sure everybody back on Zou would have heard it.

"Well, I guess we should go, too," Sanji glanced down at the baby Den Den Mushi in his hand, something Robin had passed out to each team before they'd split up with instructions to call either if they ran into trouble of if they found the treasure cache. Zoro was already wandering off toward the tunnel Robin's group had gone down so Sanji snagged him by his haramaki and set him on the correct path.

Law hoisted the lantern up, eyes constantly scanning both the ground and the walls as they walked. From what Sanji could see, the tunnels looked identical to the one they had first entered into: wide enough for several people to walk abreast, tall enough that the ceiling disappeared into the darkness above the reach of the lantern's glow, the floor uneven covered with small rocks and sand and more of the lead powder.

The walk was uneventful for the most part, the tunnel snaking forward slowly but surely and without any side branches it was impossible even for _Zoro _to get lost.

They'd just rounded a bend, heading back toward where all of the tunnels would intersect again and lead toward the treasure room, when Law stopped short and held the lantern up a little higher.

"What?" Sanji looked around, unable to see anything different, but Law had his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Nothing. Thought I heard something," Law shook his head and lowered the lantern. "Well, come on. It shouldn't take too much long-"

His words were cut off by a loud rumbling from above, but in the darkness it was impossible to tell where it was coming from and Sanji's Haki was useless at sensing things that weren't living. Law raised a hand, but before he could even set up a Room to warp them out of there Sanji felt somebody grab him around the waist and literally fling him aside, a horrific crunch sounding behind him as a large chunk of rock landed right where he'd been standing.

The rumbling got louder then, rocks raining down around him, and he curled up into a ball against the wall of the tunnel, trying to wedge himself into a natural hollow in the mountain and hoping that Law and Zoro had found their own places to hide.

It felt like forever until the deafening crashing of rocks faded into silence so absolute Sanji could hear his own frantic breaths. He uncurled his body and stood with shaky legs, trying to sense where Law and Zoro were since either the lantern had gone out or it was too far away for him to see. Eventually, he picked up signs of life from behind him and carefully made his way there through the darkness, hand sliding along the rough wall of the cave as a guide.

A hand grabbing his wrist made him yelp, his nerves already on-edge, but he knew there was no logical way it would be an enemy and that relaxed him a little. He reached out with his mind again, running into a wall of darkness and letting it slip away because there was only one person whose aura was _that _intense all the time.

"Law?"

"Are you alright?" Law's voice was calm but his hands were rather frantically running down the front of Sanji's suit, checking for injuries. "That cave-in knocked the lantern out, I think…"

"Here," Sanji fumbled in the inner pocket of his suit jacket, pulling out his lighter and passing it over, and there was a clink and a hiss before the lantern flared back to life. "See? Who says my bad habits don't come in handy," he laughed nervously, a part of him freaking out a little because so far he hadn't been able to feel any sign of Zoro.

"Come on," Law reached for his hand and Sanji let him grab it as he tugged him back down the tunnel. The amount of rocks on the ground increased as they rounded the curve, and Sanji couldn't hold back a gasp at seeing the entire tunnel had been filled in the area they'd come from. "This was about where I started hearing things…"

"Zoro?" Sanji called, as loudly as he dared, but the last thing he needed was for some sort of weird echo vibrations to cause more rocks to shift. "Oi, Marimo, where are you?"

"Shut up and get over here, Cook, since it's your scrawny ass's fault I can't move my leg!"

Sanji sprang forward, seeing a flash of green under the ash-colored dust and reaching to grasp the hand that extended toward him through a gap in the rocks.

Luckily the rubble covering Zoro was mostly just dust and tiny pieces of shale, but he winced when Sanji tried to pull him out fully and shook his head.

"My foot. It's jammed in between two boulders, I dunno…" he grimaced, and Sanji knew if he was even allowing himself to show any pain on his face it must have been bad. "I can't move it."

"Here," Law knelt down, staring at the boulders still covering Zoro's lower half and eventually nodding. "Zoro. Do you trust me?"

"I mean, even if you cut me in half, you can put me together again, right?" Zoro grinned weakly, sweat beading on his brow, and Law smiled softly in return.

"I'll try to do this without cutting at all if I can help it. All we need to do is move the rocks," he stood up and brushed off his jeans. Sanji moved out of the way, not wanting to get caught in the middle if Law was going to be flinging rocks around, and watched as the surgeon created a Room and raised the boulders as if they weighed nothing, letting them drop a safe distance away and leaving Zoro uncovered.

Sanji felt his stomach twist when he saw Zoro's leg, because it already _looked _painful. His pant leg was shredded at the ankle, streaks of blood visible through the ripped fabric, and his ankle was turned at an awkward angle that was hard to look at.

"Stay still," Law dropped to his knees, the fingers of his real hand already prodding around the injury and pressing gently against the skin.

Zoro hissed, tipping his head back, and Sanji saw the tightness at the corners of his eyes as he tried to ignore the pain it was causing him.

"These are quite the scars you have here," Law mentioned idly, running his thumb along the ridge of one of the scars circling Zoro's ankles.

"Yeah," Zoro shrugged. "We were being turned into wax statues and I figured if I cut my feet off at Least I could get away."

"By how? Crawling along the ground while you bled out?" Law's voice was so dry that Sanji couldn't hold back a laugh, but it was something he'd teased Zoro about several times because, for as resourceful as Zoro could be when it came to thinking up split-second plans in the heat of battle, sometimes his ideas were just _horrible. _

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," Zoro muttered, the sound cutting off in a gasp when Law applied pressure to his leg again. "Fuck!"

"Well, the good news is, it's not broken," Law nodded to himself, pulling his hands away as Zoro breathed a sigh of relief that the poking and prodding had ended. "The bad news is that you've got a rather nasty sprain and you'll need to keep your weight off of it for a couple of days…"

Zoro opened his mouth to protest but Law kept speaking over him.

"_And _you should be thankful you heal quickly because otherwise it would be a lot longer. Now, we should inform the others of our situation," he looked pointedly at Sanji, who realized he still had the baby Den Den Mushi in his pocket.

"Oh. Yeah, I'll give Robin-chan a call," he fumbled with it, hearing Zoro mumble something about Law having awful beside manner and Law squatting back down to reply, his hand gripping Zoro's chin and pulling him into a chaste kiss that startled Sanji so much he almost forgot to reply when Robin answered his call.

"Sanji?" Robin asked, probably for the second time although Sanji couldn't remember hearing the first.

"Yeah, it's me, Robin-chan," he realized how useless that statement was since Robin _knew _it was him, but luckily she didn't comment on his momentary lack of awareness.

"Are you alright? We heard what sounded like a rockslide," her voice was evenly measured but Sanji had known her long enough by now to realize that when she outright asked about somebody's well-being, that meant she was worried.

"We're okay. The Marimo got his foot caught and Law thinks he's got a sprained ankle, but otherwise we're fine," he assured her, hearing a sigh from the other end of the line. "Is everybody else okay?" he figured that they were, since all of them would have been in different tunnels, but it would ease his mind to know for sure.

"Yes, we're all fine and here in the treasure chamber," Robin replied. "So far there's no sign of any actual treasure, but I'm quite sure Nami will have us searching until we find it."

"That's good," Sanji glanced backwards again, Law still bent close to Zoro and speaking to him in a low voice. "I think we're gonna have to meet you guys there since we can't go back down the tunnel…" he stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder and Law held out his hand, not saying anything else. Sanji sighed and passed the snail over, unable to hear the low conversation Law was having with Robin now.

He walked back over to where Zoro was and knelt down, reaching out to rub his fingers through Zoro's mossy hair. "Hey."

"Hey," Zoro shifted his body to look up, his eyes lingering on his outstretched leg. "You okay?"

"I should be asking _you _that," Sanji chucked and lit up a cigarette, lowering himself to sit beside Zoro and being careful not to jostle his leg in any way. "You didn't have to save me."

"Che, like I'd hear the end of it if anything happened to you and I _didn't _try to save you," he snorted, his hand coming to rest heavily on Sanji's knee, and the solid touch more than anything told him that what Zoro really meant is he'd blame himself if anything happened to Sanji when he could prevent it.

"Yeah, whatever," Sanji laced his fingers with Zoro's, letting his thumb run over the back of the swordsman's hand. "Couldn't get yourself out of the way, huh?"

"I knew I wouldn't be able to," Zoro says it so matter-of-factly and Sanji glanced at him curiously.

"How? Haki doesn't work with rocks," he blew some smoke out, waiting for Zoro to explain.

"It does if you believe everything has breath."

Sanji was about to start laughing before he realized Zoro was _serious, _and while the concept seemed absurd (rocks didn't _breathe, _after all), it wouldn't hurt to hear him out.

"Okay, go on."

"I figured it out way back in Alabasta, because of something I'd been told as a child. No, things that aren't alive can't _actually _breathe, but they still exist, and they have a presence, and they take up space and they fall at a certain speed. I dunno if it's all Haki or if it's something I can pick up just by meditating so much, but I can figure out where the rocks are gonna fall…or where they're not gonna fall, I guess," he looked a little confused about it himself but Sanji had to admit it made sense, albeit in a rather convoluted way.

At any rate, since it saved him from being crushed, he wasn't going to question it.

"So you're a rock-whisperer now, huh?" he snickered, causing Zoro to smack his leg.

"Seriously, Cook, is it gonna kill you to just say 'thank you' for once?" he grumbled. Sanji sighed, knowing he was right and that now of all times was the time to put his pride aside. He was probably trying to brush it off because Zoro _had _gotten hurt because of him, no matter how thankfully minor the injury had turned out to be, but Zoro deserved more than his snark and indifference just because he was trying to subdue his own guilt.

"Thank you," he took the cigarette out of his mouth before leaning over to kiss Zoro, wrapping one arm around his shoulders. "I just hate it when people get hurt because of me."

"Yeah, don't try that," Zoro nudged his nose against Sanji's rather playfully, grinning. "You didn't ask me to save you, so you can't feel bad about my choices," he stared directly at Sanji, waiting until he nodded slowly to kiss him again. Sanji knew Zoro was being a little hypocritical, because if their positions were reversed the other man wouldn't be so cavalier about somebody getting hurt for his sake even if he hadn't asked for it, but he also knew Zoro was doing it to make him feel better and he _did _appreciate that.

"Look," Zoro whispered against his lips, breath hot and damp, "with the lives we lead, we're always gonna have to save each other, and maybe it's time we stopped keeping score and just started being grateful for all the times it happens and we both come out of it alive," he suggested. Sanji nodded, kissing Zoro once more as if to seal the promise before he pulled away.

"If you two are quite finished, I believe it's time we get Zoro out of here and to an environment more suitable for me to actually do something to help his ankle," Law's voice was utterly dry, although he was sort of smiling, so Sanji figured he wasn't _that _annoyed.

"Yeah. How do we…"

"I don't want you putting any weight on that ankle," Law replied, walking closer. "Miss Nico seems to think that the treasure chamber should only be a few steps beyond the next corner, so it's probably best if Sanji and I just support you there," he replied.

Zoro's reaction to being told he needed help, and that all of the crew would _see _him needing help, was predictably surly, but in the end there wasn't much he could do besides lean on them as they awkwardly shuffled into the treasure chamber.

000

"Is he asleep?"

"Yes. For somebody with his muscle mass, it took a surprisingly little amount of sedative to knock him out," Law flopped rather ungracefully onto the couch in his sitting room beside Sanji, and the cook was fast coming to realize that Law in his natural state was far more casual than one would think.

He slouched a lot, for one thing, but when they were around other people his posture was nearly always perfect. He sprawled, too, whereas in public he let his aura make him appear bigger instead of physically spreading out to accomplish the same effect. Law was all legs, lanky and uncoordinated and painfully awkward at times, and Sanji found that side of him so much more fascinating than the dark, brooding persona that was all most people got to witness.

"What?" Law glanced at him, narrowing his eyes. "You're staring."

"Nothing," Sanji would never voice _that _aloud, of course, but he did know that Law didn't even attempt to put up any sort of front around him any longer.

"I don't believe you," Law tucked his legs under himself and turned more fully to face Sanji. "You can tell me anything."

"I know, I was just feeling fucking sappy and I know you don't like that shit," he waved the conversation off, flipping through a random medical tome that was on the end table beside him.

"Try me," Law pressed, shifting closer, and Sanji looked up to meet his eyes.

"Fine," he groaned, setting the book aside. "I like you when you're you."

"Am I often somebody else?" Law raised an eyebrow. Sanji reached over to shove at him for that one and Law smirked, curling himself up next to Sanji. "I know. I know that somewhere deep inside I probably have at least a…tolerable personality," he didn't sound convinced.

"You do," Sanji assured him with a smile. "I told you it was sappy."

"Hmm, perhaps, but it does mean something to me that I can be…fully open with somebody and they still enjoy my company," he decided, finally resting his head on Sanji's shoulder. "Although I suppose I should thank both you and Zoro for that, even if his methods of shoving his way into my life were a lot less subtle."

"Zoro doesn't _do _subtle. He's like a fucking bull, he just pushes his way in whether you want him to or not," Sanji muttered, since that was pretty much what Zoro had done with him. Objectively speaking, Zoro wasn't the type of guy he normally went for at _all, _but somehow the bastard had gotten Sanji to fall in love with him anyway.

"Well, you can't say it isn't effective," Law was so pliant at his side, relaxed and content, eyes half-closed.

He didn't even jump when the door opened, merely lifting his head a little (Sanji figured he probably felt safest here, deep within the confines of his submarine where few people would know where to find him).

"Hey, Cap! Sanji!" Penguin and Shachi bustled into the parlor, their normally clean white coveralls streaked with dust and dirt.

"How goes the treasure hunt?" Law asked, dropping his head back to Sanji's shoulder.

"Well, we found a box," Shachi scratched idly at his nose with one finger. "It was buried pretty deep but the floor was sandy so it was easy to get through. It's got a pretty fancy lock on it and the cyborg said he could blast it open but I think your navigator was worried he'd blast whatever was _in _the box, too."

Sanji laughed, because yeah, Nami got pretty protective whenever treasure was involved.

"She said she was gonna try to pick the lock herself, first, and then let him have at it tomorrow," Penguin added.

"He won't have to," Sanji was sure of that. "Nami-san was a thief long before she joined up with us, and I doubt there's a lock in the world she can't get open as long as she's got time to figure it out," he said with no small amount of pride. Plus, well, since treasure was involved, he knew that would probably give her some extra incentive to get it open.

"Anyway, we thought we'd check in with you and let you know what was up, but we'll leave you alone," Shachi raised his hand in a wave and the two of them hurried out.

"Well, I guess you could term that a successful mission," Law glanced over his shoulder toward the bedroom door. "Should we retire?"

"Yeah, I could use some sleep," Sanji decided, pressing a kiss into Law's hair. "Is it okay if we're on the bed with him?"

"His foot has to stay elevated but as long as we don't jostle him too much it won't be a problem," Law shrugged, catching Sanji's chin in his real hand and kissing him gently. "Shall we?"

Sanji nodded, letting Law pull him to his feet and lead him into the bedroom.

Zoro was fast asleep, flat on his back with his foot propped up under a couple of pillows. Sanji stripped off his shirt and carefully crawled onto the bed, wedging his own foot beside the pillows to hold them steady.

Sanji knew he'd be good as new in a couple of days, and he let the relief of that fill him, forcing himself to let go of any lingering guilt over something he couldn't control.

Zoro wasn't going to be taken down by some measly rockslide, after all.

If nothing else, he was damn sure of that.

**Notes:**

**1. **I'm sorry this update took so long! I've had midterms for the past couple of weeks so I had to concentrate on studying and not writing, but I've got a bit of a break from exams now :)

**2. **Thank you all so much for the wonderful feedback on the last chapter, and I hope everybody continues to enjoy this fic!


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